Being a graphic designer means having the right tools to do the job. You may get by with using the wrong tools, but you will only succeed if you use the right ones. So, what are the right tools?

Well for a graphic designer, tools = software. Not just any software, but the industry's best. It is important that you use the best software. You will need different types of software for different types of jobs. So, what software?

For logo design and some print design I prefer to use Adobe Illustrator. Adobe Illustrator is software that allows you to create graphics, illustrations, typography, and pretty much anything you need. It is very important for things like logo design, as it uses vector paths which will allow the design to be scalable to any size without any quality loss. Using illustrator you can also export your design to any other format that may be requested by your client.

For most print designs, like business cards, brochures, postcards, etc.. I prefer to use Adobe Photoshop. Photoshop is much more than a photo editor, it is a very powerful graphic design machine. With rulers, and bleed guides, Photoshop is great for creating print designs. I use Photoshop for much more as well. It is great for some web graphics like headers, buttons, banners. Photoshop actually has a built in gif animation generator, which is great for creating gif animated banners for advertising. Photoshop also has some vector capabilites, but is inferior to Adobe Illustrator when it comes to make vector graphics.

For webdesign, a decent html editor such as Dreamweaver, or even something as basic as The Crimson Editor, can come in handy when editing or creating HTML or other coded files. Here at Skilled Graphics we utilize the CMS (content management system) known as Joomla to create website. Joomla is basically software that allows for easy management of your website. Using a WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get)Editor, almost no technical skill is required. Editing your website is as simple as editing a word document. This is great software when it comes to end users who are not crazy about fiddling with a bunch of HTML.
Well there you have it. Using the right tools for the job will lead to a lot less headaches and stress.

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