In the ever-evolving, always-innovating world of modern graphic design, staying ahead of the curve is not just about creativity and talent. It’s also about leveraging the right tools that can streamline your workflow, enhance productivity, and let your creative juices flow unimpeded. As we step into the second month of 2024 and our creative juices truly start flowing, the digital toolbox available to designers is more diverse and user-friendly than ever before.
Here’s a curated list of 11 beginner-friendly apps and online tools that are transforming the graphic design landscape this year.
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe Illustrator continues to set the standard as the industry leader in vector graphics design. It’s an invaluable tool for creating logos, icons, typography, and complex illustrations for any medium. Illustrator’s integration with Adobe Creative Cloud allows for seamless file sharing and collaboration. A standout feature is the recent ‘Auto-Extract’ which simplifies the process of turning hand-drawn sketches into vector graphics.
Adobe Acrobat DC
Adobe has redefined what it means to work with PDFs with its Acrobat DC product. Features like editable scans, which turn paper documents into editable digital files, and the capability to sign and send documents from any device, make this tool incredibly powerful. Adobe Acrobat DC is constantly updated to ensure compatibility with the latest hardware and software integrations.
Read: 10 in-demand careers for 2024 that will largely be protected from AI
PDF Guru
If you’re looking to streamline your operations even further in that department, then something simple and straightforward like PDF Guru’s online PDF editor will be right up your street.
Boasting a powerful editor that allows users to make a variety of changes to their PDFs, such as editing text, redacting information, and adding new elements like images and text boxes, one of the key reasons PDF Guru is easy to use is its intuitive interface, which simplifies the process of converting, creating, and modifying PDF files.
Users can quickly upload documents, make necessary changes, and download the updated files without any complicated steps. The service requires no setup, meaning it’s accessible directly through a web browser on any operating system, including Windows, Mac OS, Linux, iOS, or Android.
Affinity Designer
This vector graphic design software from the team at Serif has gained popularity for its one-off purchase model and strong performance. Its precision and professional-grade tools make it ideal for creating concept art, print projects, logos, icons, UI designs, and mock-ups.
Affinity Designer stands out due to its real-time performance, where gradients, effects, and adjustments are previewed live without any lag.
Procreate
Specially designed for Apple’s iPad, Procreate is favoured by digital artists for its natural drawing experience and tactile interaction. With its extensive range of brushes and AR-based ‘Reference Companion’, artists can draw with an immediacy that feels akin to traditional media. Procreate now integrates a sophisticated animation toolset, allowing for rich animated content generation.
Adobe Photoshop
Photoshop is arguably the most famous image editing software and has become synonymous with photo editing itself. It excels at retouching, compositing, and presenting detailed colour correction controls. Photoshop’s advanced features enable 3D design and high-quality pattern creation. The newer versions offer enhanced AI-based selection tools, making intricate edits more accessible than ever before.
CorelDRAW Graphics Suite
Not only does CorelDRAW offer powerful vector illustration capabilities, but it also covers versatile tools for layout, photo editing, and typography. The suite includes Corel PHOTO-PAINT and Corel Font Manager, offering an integrated approach to design and asset management. With features like ‘LiveSketch’, designers can convert free-form sketching into precise vector curves directly on their devices.
Canva
Canva democratises design through user-friendly templates and an intuitive interface. Beyond simple graphics, Canva allows users to create videos, presentations, and even websites. A notable feature is ‘Magic Resize’, which automatically adjusts designs to various formats for social media, posters, or advertisements, significantly saving time.
GIMP
With extra caution exercised when searching for this one on Google, GIMP provides sophisticated tools necessary for high-quality image manipulation. From retouching to restoring to creative composites, the possibilities are limitless. Recent updates have improved GIMP’s interface, layer management, and plugin support, further closing the gap between it and premium alternatives.
Affinity Photo 2
An update from its predecessor, Affinity Photo 2 delivers a seamless photo editing experience and has been optimised for performance. It rivals other editing tools with its non-destructive workflow, RAW editing capability, and advanced HDR merge feature. This makes it an attractive option for photographers and designers alike.
Pixlr
With AI-based features such as ‘Playful’, that adds decorative elements to images, and ‘Glitch’, for artistic distortion effects, Pixlr is continually innovating. It’s an excellent choice for quick, browser-based edits, including a variety of filters and overlays, catering to social media content creators.
While you’re here, we’ll tell you another tool that graphic designers – or anyone, for that matter – will find useful; this rundown of 7 strategies to help you strike the right balance between work and wellness.