The landscape of graphic design businesses has constantly been evolving over the last decade. A multitude of products and software has emerged over the years, constantly improving and providing new opportunities for small businesses. With years in the biz, we decided a current list of the essential equipment and programs that work best for our business could be useful to you.
EQUIPMENT
First, let’s discuss the essential equipment needed for a graphic designer. We are big fans of Apple products at Honor. From computers to phones and more we believe that Apple provides the highest quality products that only elevate our work and productivity. Also, it should be noted, sticking with one brand of tech products makes transferring information between each product a breeze.
In our industry, we are constantly switching between our computers and our phones to produce content, communicate with clients, and post our work on social media. As Apple lovers we had to get our hands on the new iPhone 14 Pro, and, let us tell you, the new camera is life-changing. When you’re an aesthetically driven business, quality content is key, and the new iPhone takes smartphone photography to a new level.
For computers, a digital design business requires a high-functioning processor, and for a mobile business like ours, nothing beats the MacBook Pro. It has an amazingly fast graphic processor and it’s lightweight for on-the-go design.
To keep our process streamlined we have a few favorite accessories that help get the job done. If you’re not ready to shell out the cash for the Apple Studio Display, this LG Monitor is a great alternative. It has a camera, perfect for conference calls, as well as a 5k display. This Amazon Phone Stand is perfect for seamlessly transferring files and conversations between your devices. Lastly, we love these AirPods Max. These headphones are stylish and effective in helping us stay in the zone when working in and outside of the office.
If you’re working with a lot of print design we recommend the Pantone Color Chip Books. Not only are they beautiful, but they are also a worthwhile investment for mood board and color palette development, communicating color to clients, or bringing along to print shops to verify color.
In the next section, we discuss the essential programs you need to run your business, none of which would be useful without solid Wifi. We love the reassurance we get from our Netgear Mesh Wifi System. Lose the stress about choppy client calls or unsaved work with a reliable Wifi network.
PROGRAMS
There is essentially no professional graphic design position that does not use Adobe Creative Cloud. Adobe is home to some of the most beloved design programs including Illustrator, InDesign, and Photoshop. The Creative Cloud is a subscription that gives you access to all of these programs, and more, allowing your creativity as a designer to be virtually limitless.
Yet, even as a professional designer, Canva has been a revolutionary addition to our design arsenal. Full of amazing capabilities, Canva has allowed us to make our social media design process remarkably streamlined. It’s also been a helpful tool for our clients who need editable files they can adjust once their contract with us is complete.
Two other programs we utilize daily are Loom and 1Password. From recording client presentations to creating resource libraries for our team, Loom is an invaluable resource for a digital business, while 1Password is the perfect resource for storing all of our logins and sharing them within our team safely and securely.
Some other helpful programs we love include:
- Creative Market – This resource is useful for thousands of creative assets, but the font selection alone makes this a worthwhile membership.
- Dubsado – This project management and billing system make the administration side of your business 10x easier. Plus, you can get 20% off your first month or year with promo code honor.
- Flodesk – If you need to keep your past clients and potential customers in the loop on your business Flodesk is the most attractive email platform on the market. They make email creation easy with gorgeous templates and unique layout variety. Also, you can get 50% off your first year of Flodesk when you sign up with our link.
- Planoly – People want to see your work on social media, but what business owner has the time to keep up? Setting up Planoly to auto-post your content helps keep your social presence consistent and your stress levels low. You can get 50% off one month or 10% off the yearly plan when you sign up with our link.
Overall, the equipment and software listed above help us run a sustainable and efficient business. We use every single one of these products and love what they provide to our business in their own unique ways.
XO Honor
