Your Graphic Design Owl

Graphic designers are very important professionals in today’s highly competitive industries. But, don’t think that they can only be found in marketing and creative arts departments of big companies. As long as there is a need to communicate something visually, then you will require the services of graphic designers. They are known to be the masters of colors, lines, forms, space, and other design elements to convey a message that would otherwise take an entire chapter on a book to explain.

Like all other professionals, graphic designers have to start somewhere. And while they can learn the fundamentals including the theories and principles inherent in visual communication, they must also come equipped with the correct tools and resources to further develop their skills. It is in constant practice that they are able to gain mastery of what they are doing.

Here are some of the software and tools that every beginning graphic designer must have.

The Tools

• A computer, be it a Mac or a PC that can be installed with a graphic design software. This is very basic. While you can do it the old traditional way of drawing, computer-aided graphic designs allow for greater flexibility without necessarily sacrificing your creativity.

• Either a Surface Pro or an iPad Pro to help you make those sketches or graphic design ideas that may suddenly pop up while you are on the train. It will be quite tedious to bring a replacement laptop for that.

• A beginner’s DSLR camera. While you can easily download images or even textures and backgrounds from the internet, it is often a lot better to use your very own images. Point-and-shoot pocket cameras should not be used. Also, don’t go cheap by using the camera on your smartphone. More and more beginner DSLRs are being rolled out by Canon and Nikon that are less than $400.

The Software

• Piktochart is the software you will need if you want stunning and very informative infographics. You don’t necessarily have to be a serious graphic design artist to create masterful and equally meaningful inforgraphics with over 400 templates, graphics, and icons to choose from so you can get the correct message across.

• Canva is your go-to graphic design software if you would like to make a name for yourself in social media circles. Today’s social media networking platforms have distinct requirements for the images that are uploaded onto the platform. That being said, Canva takes the guesswork out of you so you will have the correctly-sized images specific for the social media platform you intend to use it in.

• Daz Studio is excellent if you want to venture into 3D figure customization. You can try your hand on creating your very own 3D characters, avatars, and virtual environments. Its easy-to-use interface allows one for the mastery of the different techniques of 3D animation. This should make your graphic design truly standout.

There are such other graphic design softwares available out there. Some are quite expensive while many are free. As a beginning graphic designer, it is almost always better to start with the basics first to slowly gain the confidence of a real artist.