8 tools helpful for graphic designers
In spite of appearances, the list of tools used by graphic designers on a daily basis is not limited to Photoshop and Illustrator. There are plenty of other tools that help graphic designers find inspiration or perform small tasks quickly and easily. Besides, since graphic designers cooperate with other company departments during the implementation of projects, they also need efficient tools for communication and transferring of graphic files.
1. Vector magic
Graphic designers often need to convert files to vector format. Illustrator has such an option, but the program is not as accurate as Vector Magic. This tool allows you to automatically change the format of graphics, saving time. If after the formatting graphic designer needs to make some corrections to the changed graphic, he can also do it via Vector Magic. The tool allows you to vectorize a scan of a drawing as well, which is especially useful in logo design.
2. CSS Author
Searching for inspiration is one of the obligatory steps in graphic design. There are many more or less popular portals to browse selected projects, where graphic designers draw ideas. CSS Author, in addition to templates and exemplary projects, also provides ready-made codes for effects, simplifying the creation of graphic design. Developers who can easily implement graphic elements also can benefit from this. Also, blog authors search the Internet regularly to make up-to-date collections of mock-ups, icons, and other materials.
3. WhatTheFont
Graphic designers are constantly dealing with fonts when creating websites and online stores. In search of inspiration, graphic designers often turn to specialized websites, but the presented designs do not always contain all the details, including font names. Tools such as WhatTheFont allow you to recognize which font was used in the uploaded graphic.
4. FontСreator
Finding the right font for your project is sometimes a difficult task, especially if the text posted on the website or online store contains non-standard characters, such as some letters of the Polish alphabet. In this case, FontCreator is a very helpful tool, which allows you to edit fonts. Using this tool you can add letters and characters, as well as create ligatures and kerning pairs. With FontCreator, graphic designers can change fonts to make them more suited to the text and style of the site.
5. Codrops
Codrops is a tool that is particularly helpful in the work of web designers. The site has lots of examples of interesting effects and useful tutorials. The site, which started as an ordinary blog, has become one of the tools where graphic designers can share their experience and find a lot of useful information about design.
6. InVision
When designing websites and online stores, it is important to understand the user's path to customize the elements for their convenience. InVision allows you to create a graphic design of the project in one place together with other graphic designers and programmers. The tool allows you to design views via the platform and upload your files. Using InVision, graphic designers can combine views to present changes on the page that should occur after a specific interaction with the user. Also, thanks to the open access to the project, the entire team can make corrections and add comments, improving collaboration.
7. Avocode
Avocode is another tool that helps graphic designers and programmers work together to create a project. With it, graphic designers can share implementation views, and developers can receive the source code of the elements. Thanks to this, work on projects is faster and more efficient. Additionally, team members can add comments that help to make regular improvements to the project.
8. ArtRage
Although ArtRage is a typical drawing tool, it also can be useful for graphic designers. It is a great tool for creating logos, interesting graphics or even for product design. ArtRage has a wide selection of drawing instruments, thanks to which graphic designers have a lot of options to experiment with the images and their style.
Depending on the specialization of graphic designers, in everyday work, they use many tools that help to implement projects faster and more efficiently. Some of the tools presented above will work well for graphic designers whose projects are more related to the design of websites, mobile or web applications. On the other hand, others, such as ArtRage or Vector Magic, will be useful to all graphic designers, regardless of the type of projects they create.
