Best Tools Every Graphic Designer Should Use
Best Free and Paid Tools Every Graphic Designer Should Use
Graphic design is an essential skill in today’s digital world, whether for branding, marketing, web design, or social media content creation. A designer’s creativity is important, but having the right tools can make all the difference in producing high-quality, professional work efficiently.
There are many graphic design tools available—some free and some paid—that cater to different design needs, from creating logos and illustrations to editing photos and designing user interfaces. In this blog, we’ll explore the best free and paid tools that every graphic designer should consider using in 2024.
1. Adobe Photoshop (Paid)
Adobe Photoshop is the industry standard for raster graphics and image editing. Whether you’re working on digital paintings, photo editing, or social media graphics, Photoshop offers powerful tools that allow designers to create stunning visuals.
Key Features:
✅ Advanced photo editing and manipulation
✅ Layer-based workflow for better control
✅ AI-powered tools like Content-Aware Fill and Neural Filters
✅ Huge collection of brushes and effects
Why Use It?
Photoshop is essential for photo editing, retouching, and creating high-quality graphics.
2. Adobe Illustrator (Paid)
Adobe Illustrator is a vector graphics tool perfect for creating logos, illustrations, and scalable graphics without losing quality.
Key Features:
✅ Vector-based design for crisp graphics at any size
✅ Advanced pen tools and typography options
✅ Excellent for creating branding materials like logos and business cards
✅ Integration with Adobe Creative Cloud
Why Use It?
Illustrator is the go-to software for logo design, vector art, and professional branding work.
3. Canva (Free & Paid)
Canva is a user-friendly graphic design tool that’s great for beginners, small businesses, and marketing teams. It offers drag-and-drop design features with thousands of templates for social media, presentations, posters, and more.
Key Features:
✅ Pre-designed templates for quick designs
✅ Free stock images, icons, and fonts
✅ Drag-and-drop interface (no design skills needed)
✅ Collaboration tools for team projects
Why Use It?
Canva is perfect for quick designs, social media graphics, presentations, and posters.
4. Figma (Free & Paid)
Figma is a cloud-based UI/UX design tool widely used for web and app design. It allows teams to collaborate in real time, making it ideal for interface and prototype design.
Key Features:
✅ It is cloud-based (works on any device)
✅ Live collaboration for teams
✅ Easy-to-use prototyping tools
✅ Plugin support for additional functionality
Why Use It?
Figma is one of the best tools for UI/UX design, website wireframing, and prototyping.
5. GIMP (Free)
GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) is an open-source alternative to Adobe Photoshop. It provides professional-grade photo editing tools without the price tag.
Key Features:
✅ Free and open-source
✅ Supports PSD files (Photoshop format)
✅ Advanced photo retouching tools
✅ Customizable interface with plugins
Why Use It?
GIMP is ideal for designers looking for a free alternative to Photoshop for image editing.
6. Affinity Designer (Paid - One-Time Purchase)
Affinity Designer is an affordable alternative to Adobe Illustrator, offering powerful vector design tools with a one-time purchase instead of a subscription model.
Key Features:
✅ One-time payment (no monthly subscription)
✅ Advanced vector and raster design tools
✅ Smooth performance even on lower-end devices
✅ Excellent for branding and illustration work
Why Use It?
Affinity Designer is a great choice for designers who want powerful vector tools without a monthly subscription.
7. Procreate (Paid - iPad only)
Procreate is a top-rated digital painting app for iPad, favored by illustrators and concept artists. It’s an intuitive app with powerful brushes and drawing tools.
Key Features:
✅ Realistic brush textures and smooth strokes
✅ Intuitive touch controls for iPad users
✅ Supports layers and custom brushes
✅ Great for digital artists and sketching
Why Use It?
Procreate is perfect for illustrators and digital artists who prefer drawing on an iPad.
8. Inkscape (Free)
Inkscape is an open-source vector graphic design tool similar to Adobe Illustrator. It’s ideal for logo design, technical illustrations, and scalable artwork.
Key Features:
✅ Free alternative to Illustrator
✅ Excellent for creating SVG graphics
✅ Supports advanced path and object manipulation
✅ Compatible with various file formats
Why Use It?
Inkscape is a great free tool for vector design and scalable graphics.
9. Pixlr (Free & Paid)
Pixlr is a web-based photo editing tool offering an easy-to-use interface for quick edits, filters, and enhancements.
Key Features:
✅ Web-based (no installation required)
✅ An AI-powered background remover
✅ Supports layers like Photoshop
✅ Fast and lightweight
Why Use It?
Pixlr is a handy tool for quick photo edits and simple graphic designs.
10. CorelDRAW (Paid)
CorelDRAW is a powerful vector graphics software used for logo design, illustrations, and professional marketing materials.
Key Features:
✅ High-quality vector editing tools
✅ Excellent for print and branding designs
✅ AI-powered trace feature for raster-to-vector conversion
✅ Suitable for professional designers and illustrators
Why Use It?
CorelDRAW is a powerful tool for creating detailed illustrations and marketing materials.
Conclusion
There’s no single “best” tool for graphic designers—it depends on your needs, skill level, and budget.
✅ For professional work: Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and Figma are top choices.
✅ For beginners and budget-conscious designers: Canva, GIMP, and Inkscape are great options.
✅ For UI/UX design, Figma and Adobe XD are the best.
✅ For digital art, Procreate and Affinity Designer provide excellent alternatives.
By choosing the right tools, you can enhance your workflow, create high-quality designs, and bring your creative ideas to life.
