Many designers will start their process by putting pencil to paper, but today there are many tools available that can help you improve your workflow and boost your creativity. As technology and software continue to evolve, so does the field of graphic design. It’s essential to stay up to date, take advantage of these tools, and test out some new techniques.
In this article, we’ll keep you up-to-date with the newest tech innovations that can help to enhance your creative process. The following five apps are our favorite at the start of this new decade.
Astropad: Create a Customized Drawing Tablet
In this day and age, many creative professionals resort to their graphic’s tablet if they want to produce stunning designs. Often, the heavy-duty devices are heavy and awkward to carry around. With Astropad, there’s a solution. This app turns your iPad into a customizable drawing tablet.
Not only is this app economic, but it also will make your life so much easier. There are two plans available for purchase. The Standard option will just cost you a one-time payment of $29.99, and it features regular updates and shortcuts. The Studio option has a more extensive selection of tools and is available for $79.99 per year.
Adobe Lightroom: For Stunning Images
Whether you’ve got a high-end DSLR, or you’re a phone photographer only, you can create beautiful images with Adobe Lightroom Photo Editor. With this app, it’s straightforward to compile, edit, and share your images professionally.
If you also have an account with Adobe Creative Cloud, you’ll be able to sync your photos between your phone and your desktop, which makes post-production simple. There’s also a free application available for iPad, iPhones, and Android devices.
Pocket Palette: An Essential
As you may be aware, understanding color is central to being a graphic designer. With Pocket Palette, it’s easy to understand which choice is best and evokes the emotion, tone, and mood that you’re seeking.
The free app makes it easy to select hues, edit samples, and design an aesthetically pleasing brand. Whether you’re designing games with Construct 3 or creating logos for a small business, this is an essential tool.
Vectornator X: Free and Powerful
Vectornator X is hailed as one of the best free vector editing applications available. It’s versatile and user-friendly. You can easily create graphics, logos, and illustrations for print or web without having to shell out too much of your budget. This software is compatible with iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
This app has features similar to Adobe Illustrator. It’s comprehensive, and you can work with AI, SVG, and PDF files.
Procreate: For Inspiration
The Procreate app is a powerful software that allows you to sketch, illustrate, and prototype art. Features include a seemingly endless brush library, effects, animations, layer modes, and much more. It’s available on iPads for $9.99. If you want to save some money, you can download the lite version for $4.99.
A Final Note
Whether you want to create harmonious color palettes, professional logos, and stunning images, it’s a great idea to add these five applications to your design tool kit. With these programs, you can improve your workflow and boost your creativity.