5 Essential Graphic Design Tools I Use Every Day For Creating Artwork
Every graphic designer has their own design process. We are all individuals and rely heavily on our imaginations to create stunning work. However, in order for us to bring our vision to life, we have to turn to graphic design tools in assisting with our process.
I am going on 7 years of being a graphic designer and I have had my fair share of trial and error with plenty of design products. I am happy to say that I have found what works best for bringing my designs to life. Below are the 5 essential graphic design tools I use every day for creating my artwork.
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Moleskine Art Sketchbook
Nothing says I take my sketches seriously more than drawing them in a Moleskine sketchbook. I myself take great pride in the work I create, which is why I rely on Moleskine.
The reason I choose this brand over all others is simple. The overall quality of the sketchbook and the paper.
The sketchbook feels durable when you hold it and the paper has just the right amount of texture to make for the best drawing surface. Believe it or not, it’s those little things are what truly make you feel like a great designer and will give you pride in your work.
Moleskines are also made for portability. I use the large size which is roughly 5” x 8.25”. Although they are built for portability, you will have more than enough space for drawing and designing your works of art.
You can choose from a variety of Moleskine Notebooks starting at $14.19 on Amazon.
Faber-Castell Artist Pen Wallet
Don’t get too excited but we are going to talk about drawing pens. The drawing pen is the most basic design tool you will use for bringing your initial vision to life.
But why am I considering a drawing pen as an essential design tool?
Well, to bring your vision to life, you want a tool that writes, draws and overall flows perfect with your canvas. You want a tool that can translate your imagination into reality. Every artist has a favorite pen.
My go-to drawing pens are the ones made by Faber-Castell. When you draw with them you will see why they are a design essential.
The pens themselves are the highest of quality. The ink never stalls or bleeds making for nice even lines. The ink is also waterproof. Perfect for if you ever find yourself caught in the rain or if you happen to spill your latte all over your work.
The ink translates your designs clearly and bold, making for a nice clear image once you design is photocopied or uploaded to your computer.
You can get a 4-pack of Faber-Castell Artist Pens for as cheap as $8.00. Each pen has a different nib-style to help you create detailed drawings and designs.
Wacom Graphics Drawing Tablet
I never knew how much I needed a drawing tablet until I was gifted one half-way through college career. As an illustrator and graphic designer, I suffered through each assignment using only my mouse to translate my drawings and designs digitally.
Now, what use to take me hours can now be done in a fraction of the time.
My Wacom tablet has become an essential tool I use every day for illustrating cartoons, designing logos and creating graphics.
The tablet itself is compatible with just about any laptop or MacBook device and can be used with most design softwares including Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop and even MS Paint.
Another benefit is how easy it is to transport. The tablet is relatively small and weighs less than half a pound. You can slip it into your bookbag, laptop case or even a medium-size purse.
One last cool thing I want to share that makes the Wacom tablet different from other drawing tablets is its sensor pad. The tablet has a pressure sensor built into, meaning you can control the thickness of the lines you draw by simply only using the pen.
Adobe Graphic Illustrator
Adobe Graphic Illustrator is without argument the most essential tool you need as a graphic designer. The software itself is the industry-standard application for designing everything from logos to full magazine spreads.
It is a tool I use daily and is a software you need to familiarize yourself with if you plan on pursuing a career as a graphic designer. All the vector graphics I have created have been done so using Illustrator.
I could go into extensive detail on why you should only be using Adobe Illustrator for graphic work, but the biggest benefit you need to know is how scalable your designs will be.
The vector graphics you create can be scaled to any size without losing quality. Meaning, the graphic you can create can be applied to anything. Scale it down to the size of a business card or blow it up to the size of a billboard.
Illustrator will ensure no quality is lost. That should be more than enough convincing on why you should be using this software.
Yes, I know Adobe products are very robust and can be quite tedious to learn. I would be lying to you if I said I have never had my fair share of swearing fits looking my computer screen. However, there are plenty of tutorials available that will help you become an Illustrator expert.
Adobe Photoshop
Photoshop is not just for people looking to give themselves abs in their shirtless pictures. It is an essential design tool that experts use for creating beautiful works of art. It is without a doubt the top image-editing software available on the market.
Throughout my design process, Photoshop is the design software I use right after I create my vector graphics in Illustrator.
Illustrator is where you create individual parts of your work and Photoshop is where you bring all those pieces together.
It is the software I use to get everything looking just right. I use Photoshop for applying image effects, constructing the layout and selecting the correct image size.
The best part, and the main reason why I rely heavily on Adobe products is that all the applications complement one another. Although they are individual software, they act cohesively. It makes your workflow that much easier.
If you ever want to be taken seriously as a graphic designer, I suggest learning Adobe’s applications. You will be surprised by what they can do for your designs.
I’m not a graphic designer, but I’m slowing learning to do simple things in illustrator – it’s a really useful tool for blogging! Thanks for sharing this list.
I am not a graphic designer but a photographer and I use Adobe a lot. My to go apps are Lightroom and Photoshop.
I use photoshop so much its unreal. I am so glad I learned to use it years ago. It is such a great tool!
Im an artist my self but im more of oils and acrylic. And i have to agree that having quality material is very important when your designing.
I’ve actually just been using Canva, so it’s neat to think about how I could use something like this to dive a little deeper!
I love sketchbooks! IT’s something I always end up buying even though I know I don’t need it since I have so many already. I have been wanting to try the Faber-Castell Artist Pens for awhile. I always hear good things about them.
I keep using Adobe Photoshop for all my website and personal work.
I must say, its a wonderful list of all the avialable graphic tools.
I’ve always liked to learn Adobe, the full suite, and still haven’t got to it for so long. I think it’s a useful tool.