Haidan DongAs a graphic designer, you know that new design tools are constantly popping up. Sometimes it’s a new graphic design software. Sometimes it’s a new device. It could even be a free online resource. There are, however, some design tools that have proven tried and true over the years, becoming favorites among graphic designers.
Curious about what professional graphic designers prefer using? We interviewed 3 design professionals from SinaLite, a wholesale trade printer that helps print sellers and graphic designers grow their businesses. Here’s what they say about their favorite design tools.
Favorite Tools for Professional Graphic Designers
Alex
Creative Supervisor & Design Adviser
What is your favorite design software and why?
I like using Illustrator a lot because it helps me prototype, create images really fast, and design vector files. It’s easier for me to expand or reduce designs. It’s good for exporting because I can export them as PDFs, PNGs, SVGs, multiple different formats. And it can compress images for web as well as print. It’s the easiest software to create your ideas in and the fastest way to prototype.
What are your other favorite design tools and why?
My favorite design tool is my Wacom tablet, where I can draw and paint, since I am and artist and a designer as well. I like to use my hands to draw a lot so Wacom allows me to draw digitally as if I were using pen and paper. I like using my sketchbooks a lot for drawing literal diagrams when I’m trying to figure out what to do, including wireframes. It helps me bring out my ideas. Other than that I like using markers, pen and ink. I am more traditional than digital so I tend to follow that view. Also I use a lot of books as reference.
What are your favorite online resources for graphic designers?
Sageeth
Junior Graphic Designer & Video Editor, Freelance Designer
What is your favorite design software and why?
The two main design software I use are Affinity Designer and Adobe Photoshop. Both have their own unique features. I use Affinity Designer when it’s more vector work and logo designs since you don’t want them to rasterize when scaled. I use Photoshop when I want to manipulate a photo or edit a photo or design to enhance the look and feel.
What are your other favorite design tools and why?
Spotify because I feel like you need music to help calm your mind and take you to a place that you’re able to work in. Clockify helps me track of the time I spend on each piece so I can calculate prices and the cost-to-time ratio. And coffee because it keeps me up and keeps me sane.
What are your favorite online resources for graphic designers?
- Freepik
- WhatTheFont
- The Futur on YouTube
- Philip VanDusen on YouTube
Jeff
Senior Graphic & Web Designer, Print Consultant
What is your favorite design software and why?
I like Illustrator because it’s really convenient. You can make illustrations and layouts at the same time. You can export and import almost all the print-ready file types, and you can add bleed and crop marks, all in Illustrator. It’s better for printing in my opinion.
What are your other favorite design tools and why?
Photoshop for image editing and image cropping. It’s something you can’t do in Illustrator. Also InDesign for layout and editorial design.
What are your favorite online resources for graphic designers?
What are your favorite graphic design tools?
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