Technology

10 Best Graphic Design Tools and Gadgets

  • April 16, 2020
  • 14 min read
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10 Best Graphic Design Tools and Gadgets

Today we feature best graphic design tools and gadgets that can help you maximize your design creativity.

In order to create the best design, having the best tools and gadgets is a must. Furthermore, this is the career path we took so investing on the right tools and gadgets can never be wrong.

In addition,  having these important tools and gadgets for designers can help us increase productivity and work with ease.

Although other designers can get the job done with just a laptop or computer, it still vital to have the essential tools to speed up work.

For example, I use mouse for my digital art projects back in the days when I was just starting my design career. It was fine for me since I get the desired result. Now, I am using drawing tablet for my digital art projects and still getting the job done.

So what is the difference? The big difference is production time. Yes! I can finish the job much faster using digital pen compared to mouse. I can also work comfortably without straining my wrist for long hours of work.

Check out the 10 Best Laptops of Photoshop & Best Computer Desk for Multiple Monitors

These are few examples of the benefits we can get from important tools and gadgets for graphic designers. If you have the budget, I recommend to have these tools as your arsenal. Sky is the limit when creating your design because these tools and gadgets can help you push your creativity even further.

Here Are 10 Best Graphic Design Tools and Gadgets

Even if you are not a graphic designer, these tools and gadgets can be a nice gift for your designer friend, family member or love ones. The list below are sure recommended and must be on your top list. Enjoy!

1. Computer (Laptop)

This is the most important gadget, obviously. I recommend laptop because of portability. On the other hand, desktop computers are good but less mobile. It doesn’t mean desktop computers are out of the conversation, I just prefer laptops so you can carry it whenever you want to work.

Dell Inspiron laptop is one of my favorite. I recommend getting the this specifications: i7 processor, 8GR RAM and dedicated graphics card which is very important to run design software smoothly. In addition, it has 17 inch display so you can have a nice view of your work. Since it has 2TB storage capacity, tons of large files will not be a problem.

Laptop - best graphic design tools

IMAGE FROM DELL.COM

Related Article: Best Laptop Computer for Graphic Design


2. Drawing Tablet

Based from my example, you already have a better knowledge about the benefits of drawing tablets. The Wacom Intuos Pro graphic drawing tablets are very popular and the most preferred by designers around the world. Although there are many cheap tablets compare to Wacom, quality is what we should be looking for and Wacom tablets are known for that.

It has a super-thin sleek design with (13.2” x 8.5”) size and larger active area than previous models (8.7” x 5.8”). The set includes the new drawing pen technology that supports 8192 levels of pressure sensitivity. There are two options for the size with this model, medium and large. I am using the medium size which suits my needs and I am very happy with it.

Wacom Intuos Pro - best graphic design tools

IMAGE FROM WACOM.COM

Related Article: Best Cheapest Graphics Tablet


3. Drawing Set

These includes artist pencils, charcoal pencils and sticks, sketch pads, non-smudge professional sketching papers and erasers. Art pencils are great for sketching because it has a range of tones that can help give emphasis to your drawing.

Drawing or sketch materials are good when starting a design project. Start by sketching your design on the early stage to avoid mistakes on the later process. For example, when designing a logo, doodling an illustration or wire-framing a website design, it is a good practice to sketch on paper first.

Check out the best comfortable computer chairs for designers.

4. Drawing Table

Drawing tables or art desks are also important for designers. These tables are designed to lessen strains and body stress for long hours of work on drawing or sketching.There are many benefit of having the right drawing table. Check out this full article about drawing tables and how it help designers.

Drawing Table - best graphic design tools

IMAGE FROM STUDIODESIGNS.COM

You should see the best drawing tables & art desks.


5. Portable Storage Device

This handy tool can help you transfer files from your phone, tablet and computer more faster. This Sandisk wireless stick has wifi connectivity which cool. In addition, it has 256GB storage capacity that is large enough for a portable device.

Furthermore, it supports various platform so you don’t have to worry if you are using Apple, Windows or Adroid devices.

Sandisk Wireless Stick

IMAGE FROM SANDISK.COM


6. USB Hub

Computer ports are limited which sometimes causes headaches. If you are a gadget freak, two or three ports are not enough. Whenever you need to connect your drawing tablet, SD card, phone and storage device having few USB port is may lead to stress. A tool that helps us with that is a USB hub. This gadget is very useful for graphic designers with tons of gadgets.

HyperDrive USB Hub for Mac

HyperDrive Hub

IMAGE FROM HYPERSHOP.COM

Anker USB Hub for PC

Anker USB Hub

IMAGE FROM ANKER.COM


7. Digital Camera

As graphic designers, we often use images for our projects. We can get stock photos captured by other photographers from various websites. Although this can get the job done, sometimes we cannot find the right photo for our work. This is where digital cameras come in.

The good thing of having a digital camera, like this Canon EOS Rebel T6, is you can take the exact image or photograph that you want. Stock photos from the internet sometimes need modifications. On the other hand, using your own camera gives you more control about the result of your photograph. You can set up proper lighting and arrange the appropriate background.

Canon EOS Rebel

MAGE FROM WWW.USA.CANON.COM


8. Laptop Bag

If you are a designer who is always on the go, then you need a good backpack or bag that can carry all your stuff. This Targus Spruce EcoSmart Backpack can accommodate a 17 inch laptop computer. It also has enough pockets and compartments for graphic design tools such as pens, pencils, notebooks and other gadgets. The materials used for this bag are made out of strong but light weight plastic providing more flexibility.

Targus Laptop Bag

IMAGE FROM TARGUS.COM


9. Monitor Calibrator

Monitor calibrator are essential gadget that helps you adjust the color and brightness of your monitor to a known standard. Basically, each and every monitor around the world has different settings of color and brightness. So viewing an image from one monitor might be different to another monitor in terms of saturation and brightness.

You also won’t have to worry  about mismatching colors when you print your design. This Datacolor SpyderX Pro can measure light colors in your monitor and adjust it towards better results.

Datacolor SpyderX Pro


10. Swatch Book

Pantone Fan Guide is basically a collection of related colors printed on strips of paper. The strips are fastened together on one end so you can spread out each strip. There are 1867 solid colors printed on coated, uncoated, or matte finish stock. The main purpose of this tool is to help you select, specify, and communication color choices for your design project.

Pantone Formula Guide - best graphic design tools

IMAGE FROM PANTONE.COM

As these tools and gadgets for graphic designers can help us get the job done, It all falls down to our imaginative mind and natural creativity to come up with a unique and attractive design.

We just need to know how to manage these tools correctly to help us become more effective and efficient. Share this article to our fellow designers to help benefit our community, Thanks!

Check out the 5 top books in graphic design & the best budget monitor for photo editing

Today we feature best graphic design tools and gadgets that can help you maximize your design creativity.

In order to create the best design, having the best tools and gadgets is a must. Furthermore, this is the career path we took so investing on the right tools and gadgets can never be wrong.

In addition,  having these important tools and gadgets for designers can help us increase productivity and work with ease.

Although other designers can get the job done with just a laptop or computer, it still vital to have the essential tools to speed up work.

For example, I use mouse for my digital art projects back in the days when I was just starting my design career. It was fine for me since I get the desired result. Now, I am using drawing tablet for my digital art projects and still getting the job done.

So what is the difference? The big difference is production time. Yes! I can finish the job much faster using digital pen compared to mouse. I can also work comfortably without straining my wrist for long hours of work.

Check out the 10 Best Laptops of Photoshop & Best Computer Desk for Multiple Monitors

These are few examples of the benefits we can get from important tools and gadgets for graphic designers. If you have the budget, I recommend to have these tools as your arsenal. Sky is the limit when creating your design because these tools and gadgets can help you push your creativity even further.

Here Are 10 Best Graphic Design Tools and Gadgets

Even if you are not a graphic designer, these tools and gadgets can be a nice gift for your designer friend, family member or love ones. The list below are sure recommended and must be on your top list. Enjoy!

1. Computer (Laptop)

This is the most important gadget, obviously. I recommend laptop because of portability. On the other hand, desktop computers are good but less mobile. It doesn’t mean desktop computers are out of the conversation, I just prefer laptops so you can carry it whenever you want to work.

Dell Inspiron laptop is one of my favorite. I recommend getting the this specifications: i7 processor, 8GR RAM and dedicated graphics card which is very important to run design software smoothly. In addition, it has 17 inch display so you can have a nice view of your work. Since it has 2TB storage capacity, tons of large files will not be a problem.

Laptop - best graphic design tools
Image from Dell.com

Related Article: Best Laptop Computer for Graphic Design


2. Drawing Tablet

Based from my example, you already have a better knowledge about the benefits of drawing tablets. The Wacom Intuos Pro graphic drawing tablets are very popular and the most preferred by designers around the world. Although there are many cheap tablets compare to Wacom, quality is what we should be looking for and Wacom tablets are known for that.

It has a super-thin sleek design with (13.2” x 8.5”) size and larger active area than previous models (8.7” x 5.8”). The set includes the new drawing pen technology that supports 8192 levels of pressure sensitivity. There are two options for the size with this model, medium and large. I am using the medium size which suits my needs and I am very happy with it.

Wacom Intuos Pro - best graphic design tools
Image from wacom.com

Related Article: Best Cheapest Graphics Tablet


3. Drawing Set

These includes artist pencils, charcoal pencils and sticks, sketch pads, non-smudge professional sketching papers and erasers. Art pencils are great for sketching because it has a range of tones that can help give emphasis to your drawing.

Drawing or sketch materials are good when starting a design project. Start by sketching your design on the early stage to avoid mistakes on the later process. For example, when designing a logo, doodling an illustration or wire-framing a website design, it is a good practice to sketch on paper first.

Check out the best comfortable computer chairs for designers.

4. Drawing Table

Drawing tables or art desks are also important for designers. These tables are designed to lessen strains and body stress for long hours of work on drawing or sketching.There are many benefit of having the right drawing table. Check out this full article about drawing tables and how it help designers.

Drawing Table - best graphic design tools
Image from studiodesigns.com

You should see the best drawing tables & art desks.


5. Portable Storage Device

This handy tool can help you transfer files from your phone, tablet and computer more faster. This Sandisk wireless stick has wifi connectivity which cool. In addition, it has 256GB storage capacity that is large enough for a portable device.

Furthermore, it supports various platform so you don’t have to worry if you are using Apple, Windows or Adroid devices.

Sandisk Wireless Stick
Image from sandisk.com

6. USB Hub

Computer ports are limited which sometimes causes headaches. If you are a gadget freak, two or three ports are not enough. Whenever you need to connect your drawing tablet, SD card, phone and storage device having few USB port is may lead to stress. A tool that helps us with that is a USB hub. This gadget is very useful for graphic designers with tons of gadgets.

HyperDrive USB Hub for Mac

HyperDrive Hub
Image from hypershop.com

Anker USB Hub for PC

Anker USB Hub
Image from anker.com

7. Digital Camera

As graphic designers, we often use images for our projects. We can get stock photos captured by other photographers from various websites. Although this can get the job done, sometimes we cannot find the right photo for our work. This is where digital cameras come in.

The good thing of having a digital camera, like this Canon EOS Rebel T6, is you can take the exact image or photograph that you want. Stock photos from the internet sometimes need modifications. On the other hand, using your own camera gives you more control about the result of your photograph. You can set up proper lighting and arrange the appropriate background.

Canon EOS Rebel
mage from www.usa.canon.com

8. Laptop Bag

If you are a designer who is always on the go, then you need a good backpack or bag that can carry all your stuff. This Targus Spruce EcoSmart Backpack can accommodate a 17 inch laptop computer. It also has enough pockets and compartments for graphic design tools such as pens, pencils, notebooks and other gadgets. The materials used for this bag are made out of strong but light weight plastic providing more flexibility.

Targus Laptop Bag
Image from targus.com

9. Monitor Calibrator

Monitor calibrator are essential gadget that helps you adjust the color and brightness of your monitor to a known standard. Basically, each and every monitor around the world has different settings of color and brightness. So viewing an image from one monitor might be different to another monitor in terms of saturation and brightness.

You also won’t have to worry  about mismatching colors when you print your design. This Datacolor SpyderX Pro can measure light colors in your monitor and adjust it towards better results.

Datacolor SpyderX Pro

10. Swatch Book

Pantone Fan Guide is basically a collection of related colors printed on strips of paper. The strips are fastened together on one end so you can spread out each strip. There are 1867 solid colors printed on coated, uncoated, or matte finish stock. The main purpose of this tool is to help you select, specify, and communication color choices for your design project.

Pantone Formula Guide - best graphic design tools
Image from pantone.com

As these tools and gadgets for graphic designers can help us get the job done, It all falls down to our imaginative mind and natural creativity to come up with a unique and attractive design.

We just need to know how to manage these tools correctly to help us become more effective and efficient. Share this article to our fellow designers to help benefit our community, Thanks!

Check out the 5 top books in graphic design & the best budget monitor for photo editing

About Author

Redsanity

I am Red Luna, founder of DesignWithRed blog. I'm a passionate freelance Graphic Designer aiming to share my knowledge and give inspiration to all designers.

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