Graphic Designer’s Online Toolkit Essentials

Graphic designers use design elements to produce unique visuals for customers and brands. They can create designs by hand or using computer programs. This profession is challenging, given the high competition and demanding deadlines. But staying on top of innovative technology makes working in this industry fascinating.

A graphic designer composes meaningful and functional visuals using different tools. The job depends on a client’s requirements, but designer responsibilities generally include:

• Designing visual assets for use in a marketing campaign.
• Creating a graphic overlay for social media content.
• Formalizing the layout for a print advertisement.
• Retouching photos for digital signage.

A person working in this field should generally use tools that combine art and technology. In this article, we cover some useful tools with features that assist graphic designers in their everyday life.

What Tools Should a Professional Graphic Designer Use?

Vector Graphics Software

A graphic designer can use vector graphics software to produce high-quality, colorful, illustrated images. Vector images are scalable, making them ideal for logos or complex illustrations. The superior quality avoids pixelation, something rasterized images could not achieve. Vector graphics software often saves images in Encapsulated PostScript (EPS) format. But some programs use Adobe Illustrator Artwork (AI) and Scalable Vector Graphic (SVG).

Desktop Publishing Software

Desktop publishing (DTP) software allows you to create and publish professional designs. DTP software creations consist of text and graphics. They are great on printed materials or digital screens. Desktop publishing tools often have built-in templates, making them ideal for first-time users. But the various editing and design features let experienced designers create custom layouts.

Raster Graphics Editor

A graphic designer uses both vector and raster graphics editors. These tools have capabilities that complement each other. A raster graphics editor is computer software that lets you design and edit pictures. They use the program to retouch photos and enhance photorealistic illustrations. It also makes excellent hand-drawn illustrations and collage artwork using a pen tablet. The program saves the images in “bitmap” or “raster” formats, like JPEG, PNG, GIF, and TIFF.

Online Data Backup Service

Losing your work to unintentional deletion or hardware error can be stressful. You don’t want it to happen when you’re chasing a deadline. Therefore, an online data backup service provides peace of mind in case of a data loss.

Password Manager

What do you think when you hear or read about online graphic design platforms getting hacked? Did you learn anything over the past years using the Internet to do your work? Cybersecurity is indispensable, no matter your profession. Poor online security practices can make you vulnerable to phishing and data theft. These attacks can further lead to identity theft and a stained reputation.

Cybercrimes can affect your mental health, finances, and your loved ones. Still, many are lazy when it comes to online safety. We choose weak passwords or reuse old ones across different accounts. Sure, longer and stronger passwords are harder to create and remember. That’s why we choose the more manageable yet less safe route.

But long, unbreakable passwords are your first line of defense against hackers. To not need to remember them, it’s recommended to use a secure password manager. It keeps your passwords locked behind end-to-end encryption.

Online Vision Boards

Sometimes inspiration doesn’t come, no matter how you try. It’s easy to feel anger at yourself and frustration when you lose focus. An online vision board is what you need if you want to get motivated. Vision boards are visual presentations of your goals. They let you create unique designs that reflect your personality.

Vision boards remind you about your passion, allowing your creative juices to flow. Also called dream boards and action boards, they give you the push you need to get your work done. You can use vision boards to create designs based on your client’s specifications. It can be a repository of images, text, shapes, colors, and elements.

Online Proofing Tools

Online proofing tools let creative teams edit, upload, share, and review their work. This software often comes with a wide array of features. They enable collaborations on creative projects. An effective online proofing tool can help your creative team manage projects. It ensures you complete your designs error-free and on time. Online proofing tools are cloud-based and support efficient project management anytime and anywhere.

Conclusion

Having a toolkit as a graphic designer simplifies your workflow. It allows you to communicate your ideas and protect your online security. It helps you succeed in this competitive industry. These tools give you an upper hand against cyber criminals, laziness, and stagnation. Some of them may not help you in your graphic designing tasks, but they will help you stay organized and stress-free.