As a graphic designer, it’s really never 100 percent about having expensive the latest software and hardware gadgets but more of having the best ideas and finding the most efficient ways of developing and executing them brilliantly. And with that, so does the need for a gadget arise.
Whether you are making baby steps into graphic design or you are a pro with years of experience and looking to upgrade or expand your current existing creative kit, there are definitely certain gadgets that can’t and shouldn’t miss in your list that will make you work smart and creatively.
While having the latest gadgets will not really increase your creativity, it’s still important to invest in the best creative kit that you can afford. Below are a few of the best gadgets that graphic designers should ideally own.
1. Laptop – The Microsoft Surface Book 2
Introduction
Whenever it comes to the art of graphic designing, the tools used in getting the work that wows the client tends to be large. That means getting a laptop that has a big storage capacity. That is what you get when you have yourself a Microsoft Surface Book 2 for all your design work.
Pros
The Microsoft Surface Book 2 is detachable and can be used as a tablet. It’s also light in weight making it a very gadget to move around with and get the work done. It’s insanely powerful with a screen display of 3240 by 2160 at 260 ppi making its resolution higher than that of a MacBook Pro.
With it, you can also use apps like Illustrator while in tablet mode. Besides, you can also use it do video editing with ease and much faster as well as 3D.
Cons
It’s expensive and does not come with a Surface Pen included.
2. Desktop – The 21.5 iMac Retina
Introduction
While some graphic designers are okay using a laptop only and others combine both a desktop and a laptop, others are okay using a desktop, and that’s where the 21.5 iMac Retina comes into play as one of the best gadgets a graphic designer can own.
Pros
The iMac Retina machine has a bright display compare to other desktops within its price range. It comes in three different versions giving you more buying flexibility as you are able to buy a desktop version based on your need.
Besides video editing, you can also use it for 3D graphics. It has a powerful processor with a 4K screen. It’s fairly priced making it an affordable machine for most graphic designers that need a quality gadget but have a set budget.
Cons
For its price, it only has 8GB of RAM available.
3. Hard Drive – My Passport from Western Digital
Introduction
While other people can risk not backing their work, that is not a luxury that graphic designers have. Losing projects that took months to work on due to a failed computer issue is never the best thing, and that’s why with the 4TB My Passport hard drive, a graphic designer will never have to lose sleep about lost work.
Pros
My Passport hard drive from Western Digital has the perfect balance between storage capacity and transfer speed. Besides, you can get the hard drive from 1TB to 4TB depending on how huge a storage space you need.
Fast transfer speeds mean you are able to copy and save your work much faster and will always have enough room for all the extra work.
Cons
It has a basic backup software.
4. Sketchbooks – The Moleskine Ruled Cahier notebook
Introduction
Because drawing and sketching is an essential part of how graphic designers jot down the ideas they want to communicate, it’s essential to invest in a notebook as you never know where you will be when the thighs start flowing.
Pros
Moleskine has been able to build its brand and is one of the go-to places to purchase a notebook that is ideally suitable for all the sketching work that a graphic designer needs to do to get their creative juices going and end up developing and executing brilliant ideas.
Moleskine has a wide range of notebooks that are designed to boost productivity and ideal for different tasks that you may have as a graphic designer. You can also buy a checklist books that allows you keep track of your day to day tasks.
Cons
Being the exact thing that graphic designers need – really, there is no con for these notebooks.
5. Monitor Calibrator – Datacolor Spyder5ELITE
Introduction
Getting the right color workflow is essential for any graphic designer. You don’t want your final work to look different when it’s final that it looked during the design process. A monitor calibrator will help you do just that.
Pros
The Spyder5ELITE Datacolor monitor calibrator was designed for professionals who care about their work. It has a short and simple set up at the start of the process to help ensure that your desktop or laptop screen are perfect.
The monitor includes a room light and grey-balancing monitoring that helps control the optimal brightness of your monitor.
Cons
It’s a lot more expensive than other monitor calibrators available in the market.
6. Apple iPad Pro with Pencil
Intro
A designer’s creativity can peak at any time. And when it does, there is nothing as good as having a good and reliable device at hand to sketch or draw or take notes. The Apple iPad Pro with Pencil is an excellent portable gadget that any graphic designer should have as part of their arsenal.
Pros
- Available in four different sizes, two different styles and two different colors – Space Gray and Silver
- An excellent creative tablet for graphic designers
- It offers an impressive drawing and sketching experience and can handle other tasks as well
- The design tools in this iPad are quite versatile
- It has a slim design that offers stunning results
- It has a crisp edge display that is integrated with the TrueDepth camera that lets you secure your iPad with a Face ID authentication instead of the usual home button
- The A12X Bionic Processor guarantees a fast processing speed which is a lot faster than what is found in most PCs
- Has a USB-C port for connectivity such as 4K and 5K displays
- Comes with the Apple Pencil which makes it easier for creatives to draw, sketch or take notes
Cons
- It cannot operate desktop apps
- Quite pricey
Final Thoughts
As a graphic designer, there is definitely a wide range of gadgets that one can buy that are readily available. However, when purchasing the gadgets, it’s important to evaluate their need and whether they’ll make your work much easier and are within your budget.
As technology continues to evolve, there will be more and more gadgets that will come with each evolvement cycle. However, that doesn’t mean buying in into all gadgets. Find what is useful and what helps with your productivity and go for it.
When buying gadgets, ask yourself how it’ll help speed your work and deliver the best results for your clients. In addition, ensure that you have the right software that is compatible with whatever machine you are using and gets the job done.