When it comes to graphic design, it can be safely said that if you don’t know your tools, you will not last long in this field. While creativity and vision are two of the most valuable attributes for any designer, if you aren’t familiar with the latest tools you will not be able to achieve the designs you want.

With that being said, we’ve put together a list of five productive design tools that every designer should master before embarking on any projects. These tools have been tested in the field and are guaranteed to boost your productivity.

1. Adobe Photoshop

We might as well start with the basics. Mastering Adobe Photoshop should be the very first thing on any designer’s list.  Photoshop allows designers to create website templates, new or modified graphics and also to edit pictures. These features make Photoshop an invaluable tool. For the technically inclined, some of the advanced features of this software include layering, color correction and more.

2. Adobe Illustrator

What you can’t do with Photoshop, you can easily do with Illustrator. This is the bread and butter for designers today and an absolute must when it comes to boosting graphic design productivity. Using Adobe Illustrator, you can tackle large-scale complex projects that rely heavily on cool nifty graphics, make amazing graphical reports and create logos.

3. Adobe Fireworks

If you are a web designer than you should already be using this tool. It’s easy to use and since its release it has become the primary tool for web design. Fireworks allows users to work with a variety of images, giving them a blend of vector and bitmap tools, safe file import options and built-in prototyping options. Designers can use the full range of options for creating beautiful designs.

4.  Adobe InDesign

Adobe InDesign is a versatile page designing and publishing application. It gives graphic designers complete control over graphic design, whether its print or digital. Its close integration with Flash Professional has helped simplify making web versions of documents and its latest versions help create e-books and adapt content for tablets. InDesign has simplified exporting and supporting various image files, adjusting resolution and image sizes, and tagging audio and video files for e-publishing.

 5. Shrink-O-Matic

Creating, modifying and altering images are some of the tasks that come as second nature to designers. Shrink-O-Matic is a great tool that enables resizing an image as you see fit. This tool has an extremely simple UI and can handle many of the popular image formats such as GIFs, JPEGs and PNGs.

 6. Blender

If you ever find yourself working on 3D animation projects, this should be the first design tool that you get your hands on. It has a number of features that helps designers create breathtaking 3D animations. By default, the software comes with a node-based compositor, stimulation tools, textures and much more. Blender has a very user friendly UI and best of all, it’s completely free!

7. Dropbox

Dropbox may not be a graphic design tool but nevertheless, almost every designer uses it. This cloud-based data storage service can sync multiple hard drives at multiple locations. This makes it easy for designers to carry their work around. It saves time and time is money.

We hope that you will find the above tools to be useful and beneficial to you. There are dozens more to list, however for new and experienced designers these design tools will provide a multitude of help.

Every new designer aspires to be the best. However, this doesn’t come easy. You not only have to work hard, but you also have to develop good artistic, marketing and communicative skills. You need to know where to market your skills and how to capture the client’s interest. There are hundreds of tips and tricks but I would like to share with you just seven great secrets to becoming a graphic design superstar. The best designers understand these secrets and this is why they are the BEST.

1. Communicate, Relate, Share

Become a member of a graphic design community and interact with other like-minded designers. Such communities, forums and social gatherings help you to meet new people, share ideas, knowledge and grow as a professional. This is the best way to get maximum exposure, creating professional relations and gaining abundant knowledge regarding the design field.

2. Expand, Improvise, Adapt

Being a good graphic designer means being flexible and adaptable. Do not limit yourself to just one field. Expand your skills and learn about various spheres of digital designing. This will help you in acquiring a strong client base, while honing your expertise. Improvise on your design style by learning to work on multiple graphic programs, including 2D and 3D modes. Make yourself an “in-demand” designer, catering to any sector.

3. Evolve, Learn, Update

You can never say, “I know it all.”  The best designers are constantly learning.  Every day you can learn new tricks and tips, explore new strategies and get brand new ideas.  Stay updated with the latest tutorials, design ideas and software.  But don’t forget to manage your time. The more updated you are and the more versatile you become, you will automatically be wanted by business owners.

4. Read, Read, Read

Read and get in depth knowledge about color psychology, design concepts, typography, trends and the latest software. Graphic designing is not wild imagination; it is a tamed art that can mold itself according to the needs of an industry.  This is what graphic design books, tutorial websites and professional blogs teach you about.

5. Experiment, Experience, Understand

Experiment with various design styles and color combinations.  Be innovative when creating designs. Think outside the box, avoid clichés and common trends. Playing with graphic software is a good exercise and a great way to learn various techniques. Doing so gives you practical knowledge which is worth more than the hundreds of books you may read. Also, don’t hesitate in asking your friends and colleagues for their opinion of on your work.  This will help you to understand your flaws and improve on them.

6. Seek, Inspire, Create

Graphic designing is a field that has somewhat of recycled inspiration. In broader terms, it means that you will have to avoid seeking inspiration in other people’s work in order to be original. The first idea you might get for a project will not always be unique. With thousands of designers out there it is possible that your idea has already been worked on. Seek inspiration from your surroundings, from nature, from people you know instead of just focusing on online designs. Remember though, that seeking inspiration does not mean copying designs.  Copying designs will take away your credibility as a professional designer.

7. Aim, Score, Win

Do not aim to be the best, aim to develop your skills and abilities. Keep learning and don’t hesitate to ask questions when you don’t understand anything. Become an active part of the design community. Share your knowledge as a designer with others and they in turn will not disappoint you when you have a question to ask.  Cater to customer needs and understand their business. This will help you win clients and in turn you will able to build an excellent portfolio and be known as a professional graphic designer.

What else do you think makes a graphic design superstar? What is it that best designers do differently? Share your thoughts with us.