Visual communication is crucial to building a brand and reinforcing its values. Your choice of fonts, color schemes, layouts, and logos will dictate how the audience perceives your brand. Graphic designing matters because it is more than just aesthetics, it will shape your visual storytelling and the ways customers interact with your brand.
Choosing the right elements is integral to making the designs work for you, and to do that effectively, the right tools are required. There are a plethora of options available, and if you’re just starting out, it can be confusing. Apostrophy’s thoughtfully curated guide helps you navigate the world of graphic design and select the software best suited for your brand.
Adobe Photoshop
An industry favorite, Adobe Photoshop has been one of the top choices for graphic designers. It has a user-friendly UI and gives access to a range of tools. With the latest infusion of AI, it also enables generative fills ensuring quick fixes and efficient editing. Adobe provides a 7-day free trial and various pricing ranges depending on your requirements.
It lets you work on layers and create and gives access to an incredible library of images, tools, and fonts. Photoshop is suited for both beginners and experts with its extensive features and customization properties. If you don’t have budget constraints for graphic design software, Adobe Photoshop is a good place. You can also check out Adobe Creative Cloud which is more expensive but lets you access the full range of tools offered by Adobe.
Adobe Illustrator
A vector-based graphic designing software, Adobe Illustrator is perfect for professionally creating logos, artwork, icons, prints, and more. It has a wide variety of tools that help you recover images, create your typography, get endless color schemes and palettes, and access the Pantone Color library, all in-app.
Although priced at $20.99 – $31.49, its versatility and professional usage, including image scalability and diverse format support make it one of the best available tools in the market. If you’re a beginner, it might take a while to get used to the complexity levels, and you might want to use it alongside Photoshop for better image editing properties of the latter. It is, however, perfect for any Windows, Android, and Mac device. Weigh in the prices and the pros before investing!
Figma
Figma provides an array of features including designing and prototyping features. You can access its unlimited cloud storage, connect with other team members, and create interactive visuals. Its UI is beginner-friendly and the free tools and templates make it a perfect choice for start-ups and small businesses. You don’t have to be a professional to use Figma.
Although the free version lets you access several tools, the paid one, priced at $12/month, is quite useful if it fits your budget. A vector-based software, it could be a reasonable alternative if you’re skeptical about Adobe Illustrator and similar software. The good thing is, it can be used on Windows, Linux, and Mac devices.
Canva
If you are not an expert, Canva is the perfect place to start. It has a beginner-friendly interface and a huge library that lets you access a range of templates, images, and icons. Canva has different pricing options that you can choose from based on your requirements.
It is great for social media content creation and management. Easy and accessible layout options make it easier for you to create a uniform aesthetic across channels and quickly design posts. Canva is meant for designing Logos, social media posts, and making website layouts fast and efficient.
Xara Designer Pro X
Built for vector design, it is useful for designing billboards, brochures, cards, and social media posts. It is also a one-stop web design and prototyping software that connects you to a range of layouts and templates. With an easy, hassle-free subscription, you can work both online and offline with Xara.
Marketed as a good alternative to the popular graphic design software, it might take a while to get used to. It is a Windows-only software that works well with both Bitmap and Vector images, making it ideal for desktop publishing, graphic designing, and photo editing. There are frequent discounts offered – keep an eye out to get a good deal.
Vectr
If you want to collaborate in real-time with your team members, irrespective of the OS, Vectr is a great option. Specializing in vector images and typography, it lets you access guides and tutorials and saves a lot of time. Its automatic synchronization and AI-driven UI are perfect to meet the industry standards in graphic designing.
Unlike Photoshop and Illustrator, Vectr doesn’t have a complex learning process, the interface is easily navigable and beginner-friendly, allowing you to get your visual storytelling on point in no time. Although the lack of a media library and online-only function might limit its access, Vectr is worth it for creating blur-free and scalable visuals.
Lunacy
Lunacy is free and AI-powered. It has been designed keeping in mind the current graphic design needs. It is both efficient and beginner-friendly, with features similar to Figma. If you are someone who is just starting your journey with graphic design and doesn’t have a lot of time, Lunacy could be just the right app for you. It is AI-enabled, has a well-made library, and lets you work both online and offline.
It works on Mac, Windows, and Linux-based devices and is a next-generation graphic designing software that can cater to your specific needs.
Learning software can take some time, and you might want to explore a little and weigh in some options before investing in software. Make sure you go over the pros and cons and choose the software that best suits your brand’s needs.