Tools of the Trade for Graphic Designers

From software and tools to design books and sketch pads, there is a plethora of invaluable tools that are available for graphic designers. With so many tools available, how do designers know which ones they need? Which tools are they going to get the most benefit out of? As luck would have it, we have had a look at the best tools on the market and listed them in this blog! #1 Software Software is a bit of generic term, however, what we are talking about is graphics and business-related software. Tools such as Photoshop, Gimp (this is free), Illustrator and Corel Draw are great for the creative side of graphic design. However, there are other project management (such as Trello) or time tracking software (such as FunctionFox) which can help with staying organised during a project. Did you know that each individual Pantone guide comes with a free download of Color Manager Software for importing the accurate Pantone colour data into your design programs? Look out for the unique code which is either printed on the inside back cover of the guide or in larger books as a separate sheet near the index. Designers should consider building up their own small library of graphic design books, some books for inspiration, others for technical help. There are also books that can help with the business side of things. Some of our favourites are: Whilst we understand that you’ll probably use your computer or laptop to complete your design, that doesn’t mean that the design process has to start with one. You never know when inspiration will strike. Whilst it may be hard to always carry around your laptop, having a sketch pad on hand to scribble down ideas when they pop into your head will come in handy. Also scribbling down on paper is much quicker then mocking a design up on a computer.

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