Graphic Designers rely on the ever-expanding possibilities of software to bring their ideas to life. Because of rapid tech innovations, designers have more software to choose from than ever before, enabling them to combine different forms of media and create attention-grabbing interactive content.
Designers need to be fully aware of the strengths and weaknesses that come with each piece of software, which enables them to choose the best tools for the job in hand.
Today’s industry is largely driven by the Adobe suite, which has developed side-by-side with Graphic Design practice.
Here’s a breakdown of the essential Adobe apps that power-up the work of modern Graphic Designers:
A must-have for any serious Graphic Designer, Photoshop is your go-to application for working with pixel-based images for print, web, and mobile apps.
Photoshop’s powerful editing tools let you correct exposure and colour balance, crop and straighten images, erase blemishes from a portrait, or combine multiple images to formulate a completely new scene.
Adobe Illustrator is a software application for creating drawings, illustrations, and other vector-based designs. It offers designers a comprehensive toolkit that enables them to create designs from scratch, just as they would on a drawing board.
Used as part of a larger design workflow, Illustrator helps with the creation of everything from single design elements to entire compositions. Graphic Designers use Illustrator to create posters, symbols, logos, patterns, icons and much more.
Adobe InDesign is the industry-standard layout and page design software used in print and digital media. Graphic Designers use InDesign to create and publish books, magazines, brochures, posters and customised stationery.
InDesign offers a wide range of typography from the world’s top foundries and imagery from Adobe Stock. Its latest features allow designers to create interactive publications, such as iPad apps, interactive PDFs, online magazines and eBooks.
Adobe After Effects is a digital visual effects and motion graphics application that’s used in the post-production process of film, television and web video production.
After Effects can be used to create animations, layer text over images, and edit and composite footage. It also allows designers to create special effects, such as adding dramatic lighting, making moody colour changes, or layering up patterns and textures.
Adobe XD is a prototyping tool for user experience and interaction designers (both of which Graphic Designers regularly delve into). Adobe XD features are handy for creating wireframes, prototypes, and screen designs for digital products, including websites and mobile apps.
Premiere Pro is industry-standard video editing software, used for film, TV and the web. Intuitive tools and Premiere Pro’s simple integration with other apps helps users composite clips, create smooth transitions and turn footage into polished videos.
Animate allows designers to produce high-quality vector graphics that are scalable, reusable and adaptable for cartoons, banners, games and other interactive content.
Animate graphics can easily be imported to After Effects, allowing you to add post-production effects and publish your animated videos through multiple platforms with just a few clicks.