Engaging visuals and content are crucial for capturing readers’ attention. That’s the power of graphic designing. But for this to be possible, graphic designers need to employ only the best software for the job. Quite frankly, a graphic designer is only as good as his or her tools.

Using the correct software, designers are better able to create layouts with compelling visuals. Also, they can easily adapt graphics and text to suit the intended audience. This applies to any facet of graphic designing, be it web design or logo creation.

Now, given the ever-evolving graphic design market, you’ll find plenty of complex design software at your disposal. The key is to pick the right tools that’ll simplify your work and make it go quicker without sacrificing any professional appeal. To help you pick, we list 10 simple tools every graphic designer should know and use.

Pantone Color Guide

Pantone Color Guide is popular among many color savvy industries involved in printing or graphic designing. The tool offers users a wide range of standard pantone colors that every designer will find useful, from a palette of cool blues to warm and soothing hues.

Google Font

Google font is basically a collection of application programming interfaces. The tool aims to provide users with web fonts that they can use for web design. As the name suggests, this software is offered by Google. Designers will appreciate how all the fonts are free but note that they can’t be installed on computers. They’re only used via the internet browser.

Font Pairing Tool

Typography is an invaluable part of graphic design. A graphic designer needs to pick the right font pairing tool to create effective designs that complement the project’s overall look.

Font pairing tools such as Google Type, Font Pair and Type Connection are essentially time saving. They’re very easy to use and have fonts that work well with most typical websites.

GIMP

The GIMP is a must-have tool for every graphic designer, which allows users to create crystal clear graphics through the use of its photo manipulation feature. This software can run on many platforms such as GNU, Windows and OS X. Thanks to its customizable interface and full-screen mode, users can not only view images but edit them at the same time.

Adobe Photoshop

Photoshop is undoubtedly one of the best tools for photo editing and it runs on both Mac and Windows. It’s the tool that allows designers to infuse life into images and graphics giving them that intriguing feel.

Photoshop can be used by both novice and experienced graphic designers. With basic features such as perspective correction and channel mixing, using this tool will make you look like a pro in your field.

Pexels

Using stunning images is also essential when it comes to designing. Pexels offers a wide range of high quality stock photos that designers will need to create meaningful visual representations in their designs. All images are free to download (even for commercial use).

Behance

Both aspiring and seasoned graphic designers should take advantage of this platform to get inspiration for their work. Behance allows users to create an online portfolio which showcases their work and creativity. This tool is extremely easy to use even if you’re not a skilled coder.

The site allows you to organize your work based on a particular project. You can even ask your followers for feedback to help you perfect your craft.

ProofHub

Proofhub is a proofing tool that enables graphic designers to manage their tasks with no hassles. Clients use this tool to request minor changes on work done such as changing texts or color.

The software eliminates the need for emails or approvals and allows designers to instantly effect changes thereby making the entire creative process go much quicker.

DesignBold

DesignBold is yet another user-friendly tool that graphic designers can use to create stunning images. The software comes with many design resources and customizable layouts that users can pick from.

With this software, graphic designers can create different visuals for logos or headers suitable for web content. Both beginners and professionals find this cost-effective tool a wise investment.

Adobe Illustrator

Adobe Illustrator is considered to be the industry standard vector graphics software and it allows designers to create beautiful web and mobile images. It’s the software of choice for creating sketches, icons, product packaging and billboards.

Designers will appreciate that it makes designing much faster and allows them to turn simple images into sophisticated graphics.

Whether you’re just starting out in the graphic designing field or you’re a seasoned professional, you’ll discover that each of these tools carry value. They’re simple to use and will tremendously improve your workflow, so it may be the investment your career needs.