Being creative is not merely enough to become a proficient graphic designer. It takes a lot more, you should know standard graphic design softwares, and you must have hands-on experience on the same. On top of it, you must know which designing softwares have set the benchmark in the industry. Graphic design softwares used by perfectionists If someone’s planning graphic designing as a full-time profession or a freelance option, these are the must-have graphic design softwares for him. I can assure you after mastering these graphic design softwares, no one could stop you to have an incredible career in graphic design. Adobe Creative Suite The majority of graphic designers in London use Adobe Creative Suite for their creative needs. It involves PhotoShop. InDesign, Illustrator. In the beginning, you shall start with PhotoShop as it’s a photo editing app and easy to understand as compared to other Adobe apps. There is a saying, ‘if you learn PhotoShop first, then other Adobe Creative softwares are easy to understand.’ Creative Suite is paid software (£19.97/monthly if paid annually) but, you can avail of its 30-day trial and then make the payment accordingly. They have student discounts too that may help you to lessen your cost. Inkscape As a student or freelance graphic designer, you must look for free alternatives in the beginning. Since Adobe gives paid services, Inkscape is a free and open-source substitute for Adobe Illustrator. It’s a vector graphic design editor that is compatible with Windows, Mac and Linux. Also, it has an easy to use interface and clear distinctions for print, logo design and web designs. It is also used for creating and manipulating objects and stroke formatting. Inkscape is primarily used in SVG format but, it offers the option of exporting in PNG, PDF, PostScript, and EPS. GIMP If you are looking for an alternative to PhotoShop, GIMP( GNU Image Manipulation Program) is an appropriate choice. It’s compatible with Windows, MAC OS X and Linux. It offers an easy to use and customisable user interface that makes you efficient. You can view and edit the high-definition graphics at the same time with its widescreen option. GIMP has ample tools to create artworks and icons, develop designs and edit images using masks, layers, textures, etc. CorelDraw CorelDraw is essentially used in marketing and advertising businesses. You can use it to design logos, brochures, flexes, invitation cards, and many other marketing communication elements. It is widely used because of its in-built alignment guide that assists in object placement as required. You can integrate apps like Barcode Wizard, Bitstream Font Navigator, and Duplexing Wizard. Moreover, you can easily edit vector objects here with Attract, Smear, Repel and Twirl tools. Also, if you have co-workers who prefer PhotoShop, it allows you to open PSDs as well. Affinity There is three software under the brand name Affinity; Affinity Photos (used for image editing) and Affinity Designer (to edit vector objects), and Affinity Publisher (to create single and multi-page documents). Its biggest USP (Unique Selling Point) is its speed. Regardless of the size and complexity of the file, its speed remains the same, i.e. fast. Affinity softwares are customisable as it has a modern interface, advanced layer controls and enables undo(s) up to 8,000 steps. You can use all standard file formats here in all Affinity softwares. You can grab these softwares with a one-time payment of £23.99 each. Sketch While all of the above graphic design softwares are compatible with Windows, Linux and Mac. Sketch can be used by Mac users only. Still, its compatibility did not affect its popularity as it offers multiple features to attract users. Designers focused on app, web, user experience, and interface designs will prefer Sketch over any other designing software. It offers designers to work on multiple pages and artboards at the same time. One can use symbols and styles repeatedly and set a standard for the entire design. In Sketch, you can easily design and edit a vector without affecting original shapes. In the end, I would suggest you use graphic design tools and equipment too. They can be integrated easily into the above softwares for enhancement of the quality of your designs. I always help beginners and other freelance designers. You can contact me if you have any doubts or clarifications.
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