Explore all the solutions you can create with Paperform: surveys, quizzes, tests, payment forms, scheduling forms, and a whole lot more.
See all solutionsConnect with over 2,000 popular apps and software to improve productivity and automate workflows
See all integrationsExplore all the solutions you can create with Paperform: surveys, quizzes, tests, payment forms, scheduling forms, and a whole lot more.
See all solutionsConnect with over 2,000 popular apps and software to improve productivity and automate workflows
See all integrationsThis blog post explores the top graphic design tools of 2024, each tailored for different levels of expertise and design needs. It highlights the significance of blending traditional design with AI-driven creativity, emphasizing tools like Adobe Creative Cloud, Canva, Figma, and more. The post encourages designers to find the right tool that resonates with their workflow, suggesting experimentation through free trials to discover the ideal match for their creative endeavors.
There's never been a more difficult time to be a graphic designer.
With the growing influence of AI, 2024 presents a range of complex and unique challenges for designers to overcome.
Despite these obstacles, the industry also offers an unprecedented array of advanced tools that can streamline the design process.
These tools not only enhance efficiency but also provide innovative ways to blend traditional design principles with AI-driven creativity.
Whether you are creating intricate layouts, developing brand identities, or producing dynamic digital content, the right software can be a game-changer.
This guide showcases the top graphic design tools of 2024, each uniquely equipped to help you navigate the evolving landscape of design with confidence.
It's not exciting, or particularly novel to say this, but Adobe Creative Cloud is the best overall design tool on the market.
Its comprehensive suite, encompassing tools like Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign, caters to virtually every aspect of graphic design.
Whether you're retouching photos, crafting vector illustrations, or laying out pages, Adobe Creative Cloud offers the flexibility and power you need to bring your creative visions to life.
Master the art of using Libraries in Creative Cloud. Share commonly used assets like logos, color palettes, and fonts across different applications like Photoshop and Illustrator. This streamlines your workflow and ensures consistency across your projects.
Canva simplifies the design process, allowing you to create visually stunning work without the steep learning curve often associated with more complex software. Its intuitive interface and user-friendly design make it exceptionally accessible for beginners.
The platform is equipped with a vast array of templates, from social media graphics to presentations, making it a versatile tool for various projects.
Even if you're just starting out or working on a tight schedule, Canva's drag-and-drop functionality and extensive library of images and fonts empower you to produce professional-quality designs with ease.
While Canva offers unparalleled ease for creating structured designs, the drawing app complements it by providing a canvas for freehand creativity. Ideal for artists, designers, and anyone looking to add a personal touch to their digital creations, the app offers a suite of drawing tools that bring your ideas to life.
From sketching initial concepts to adding intricate details to Canva designs, the app ensures your projects stand out with original artwork. It's the perfect companion for those who want to blend professional templates with unique illustrations, making your designs unique.
Figma has firmly established itself as the leading choice for UI (User Interface) design, thanks to its innovative approach and powerful features tailored specifically for digital interface creation.
As a tool focusing on web and app interfaces, Figma offers a collaborative, browser-based platform that streamlines the design process from concept to completion.
What sets Figma apart is its real-time collaboration capability, allowing teams to work together seamlessly, regardless of their location. This feature is particularly beneficial in the fast-paced, iterative world of UI design, where feedback and modifications are constant. Figma's vector-based interface ensures that designs are scalable and adaptable, an essential aspect of responsive web design.
Use Figma’s 'Auto Layout' feature for UI designs. This tool allows you to create responsive components that adjust their size automatically based on their content, making your design process for different screen sizes more efficient.
Renowned for its smooth performance and integration with Apple's interface, Sketch provides a streamlined, intuitive experience that aligns perfectly with the aesthetics and functionality of Mac devices.
Sketch has carved its niche primarily in the fields of UI, UX, and web design, offering tools that cater to the specific needs of these disciplines.
Its vector-based system allows for precise and scalable designs, an essential feature for digital interfaces. The platform's focus on simplicity and efficiency makes it particularly appealing to designers who prioritize a clean, uncluttered workspace.
Leverage Sketch’s 'Symbols' feature for UI design consistency. Symbols allow you to reuse elements across your designs. Any change made to a Symbol is reflected everywhere it’s used, which is great for elements like buttons or icons.
Adobe InDesign reigns supreme in the field of desktop publishing, offering unparalleled tools and features for creating professional layouts and print materials.
It's the go-to choice for designers specializing in brochures, magazines, books, and other complex textual designs.
InDesign's precision and control over typography, layout, and color make it indispensable for high-quality print production.
Use 'Object Styles' in InDesign for consistent layout elements. This feature lets you save and apply size, position, and formatting to layout objects. It's a huge time-saver for repetitive elements like frames or text boxes in large documents.
Inkscape is an open-source platform that rivals many paid software in terms of functionality and flexibility. Ideal for designers on a budget or those who prefer a non-proprietary tool, Inkscape offers a wealth of features without the associated costs.
The power of Inkscape lies in its comprehensive suite of vector editing tools, allowing you to create detailed and scalable graphics suitable for a variety of uses, whether you create a logo or complex illustrations.
Despite being free, it doesn't compromise on quality or functionality, providing a range of advanced features typically found in premium software.
Explore the 'Path Effect Editor' in Inkscape for intricate vector manipulation. It's a powerful feature that allows you to apply and fine-tune various effects like bends or twists to your paths, giving you more creative control over your vector artwork.
Known for its advanced capabilities and precision, Affinity Designer caters to the needs of experienced designers who demand high-level functionality and control in their work.
Whether it's creating intricate vector illustrations, detailed branding elements, or sophisticated layout designs, Affinity Designer offers the finesse required for top-tier graphic work.
Unlike other design tools that may prioritize breadth over depth, Affinity Designer focuses on delivering a depth of features that meet the detailed demands of complex projects.
Its intuitive interface, coupled with powerful tools, ensures that designers can work efficiently and accurately, without any compromise on quality or creative freedom.
Experiment with the 'Corner Tool' for versatile vector shapes. This tool allows you to dynamically round, bevel, or chamfer the corners of any vector shape. Changes made with the Corner Tool can be easily adjusted or reversed, offering greater flexibility in your design process.
Adobe Photoshop is universally acclaimed as the gold standard for photo editing, a title it has held for decades. Esteemed for its unmatched capabilities in image manipulation and enhancement, it's the preferred tool for professional photographers, graphic designers, and digital artists.
Photoshop's extensive feature set caters to the intricate needs of high-end photo editing, from basic retouching to advanced compositing and digital painting.
Whether you're working on simple corrections or complex artistic creations, Photoshop provides the precision and control required for outstanding results.
Master the 'Pen Tool' for precise cutouts and paths. While it might have a steep learning curve, the Pen Tool offers unparalleled accuracy for creating complex selections, clipping paths, and clean edges. Use it to extract objects from their background or to create intricate shapes and designs.
GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) stands out as the best alternative to Adobe Photoshop, particularly favored by those seeking a powerful, free photo editing tool.
As an open-source program, GIMP offers a substantial range of features that can competently handle a variety of image editing tasks, from basic photo retouching to more complex graphic design projects.
What makes GIMP a strong contender is its ability to mimic many of Photoshop's capabilities. Users appreciate the flexibility it offers, including a customizable interface, a wide array of brushes, and various plugins that can extend its functionality further.
GIMP is especially appealing to those who are looking for a cost-effective solution without sacrificing a comprehensive set of editing tools.
Take advantage of GIMP’s 'Layer Masks' for non-destructive editing. Layer masks allow you to hide or reveal parts of a layer without permanently deleting any pixels, which is invaluable for complex photo manipulations.
Adobe Illustrator is widely recognized as the industry-leading tool for vector graphics, a position it has held for years.
Esteemed for its precision and versatility, Illustrator is the top choice for graphic designers, illustrators, and artists who specialize in vector-based work.
Whether creating logos, typography, icons, or complex illustrations, Illustrator provides the tools and features necessary for producing crisp, scalable vector artwork.
Its ability to handle intricate design details, coupled with advanced color and typography features, makes it ideal for professional-grade graphic work.
Additionally, Illustrator's integration with Adobe Creative Cloud allows for seamless collaboration and sharing of assets across various applications, enhancing the overall design workflow.
Get familiar with the 'Blend Tool' in Illustrator for creating complex shapes and color gradations. This tool can create intricate patterns and gradients that are essential for high-quality vector illustrations.
Primarily designed for the iPad, Procreate harnesses the power of Apple's technology to offer a fluid, tactile drawing experience that feels akin to traditional media, making it a top pick for artists who love to sketch, paint, and doodle.
With a variety of brushes and textures at your fingertips, the app allows for a range of artistic expressions, from quick doodles to intricate artwork.
The ease of use, coupled with the portability of the iPad, makes Procreate an ideal tool for artists and designers who find inspiration on the go.
Use Procreate's 'QuickShape' feature for perfect shapes. Simply draw a shape and hold your pen in place; Procreate will auto-correct it to a perfect geometric shape, which is great for incorporating precise shapes into your digital art.
Appy Pie Design sets a new standard in digital creativity with its cutting-edge AI image generator, designed to transform detailed text prompts into stunning images in real-time. This platform is engineered for artists, designers, marketers, and creatives seeking to bring their visions to life with unparalleled ease and precision.
Unlike traditional design tools, Appy Pie Design's AI image generator leverages advanced algorithms to understand and interpret text prompts, offering a seamless bridge between your imagination and visual content. This innovative approach allows for unique, compelling images tailored to your specifications, opening up possibilities for digital art, marketing materials, website content, and more.
Maximize the potential of Appy Pie Design's AI image generator by crafting detailed and precise text prompts. Describe the desired outcome with as much specificity as possible to guide the AI in creating the exact image you envision. This method ensures that the generated images align closely with your initial concept, which can enhance your projects and presentations.
Yes, that's right! The humble notebook stands as a refreshingly simple yet profoundly effective tool for graphic designers. Often overlooked amidst high-tech software and gadgets, a traditional notebook is your secret weapon for capturing spontaneous ideas, sketching initial concepts, or simply doodling to spark creativity.
A notebook doesn't require batteries or software updates, and it's always ready at a moment's notice. Its tactile nature encourages a different kind of creative thinking, free from the constraints of digital interfaces. Jotting down or sketching ideas in a notebook can often lead to unexpected bursts of inspiration and innovation.
Alright, this is a bit tongue-in-cheek, but it's also true! The analog approach can provide a refreshing break from the screen, often leading to more original and personal designs that can later be refined using your digital tools.
These graphic design tools offer a diverse range of functionalities to cater to different needs and skill levels.
Whether you're a seasoned professional or just starting out, there's a tool that can enhance your workflow and creativity. Just remember, a tool is only as good as the hands that wield it.
Related reading
We'll walk you through how to sign a Word doc—and offer a much better alternative.
Everything we've shipped for Paperform, Papersign, and Dubble from July to September 2024. Get acros...
Learn To Be has leveraged Paperform to overcome volunteer challenges, streamline their operations, s...
Learn how to boost productivity and automate processes with this essential guide to the 13 top workf...