Talking about the tools needed to be a successful graphic designer, we tend to rehash the same softwares any professor will tell you about. This means Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop, or maybe even some of the other, lesser-known illustration suites. However, on any given day we use a number of browser-based utilities that, to be frank, we couldn’t live without.

  1. Adobe Kuler: If you aren’t using Adobe Kuler, we haven’t got the foggiest clue why. This cloud-based color utility makes it a cinch to create color schemes using predefined or custom built parameters. Not only that, but it also allows you to store these sets for use later. With each new project, the very first thing we do is create a set of colors in Kuler, and then save them to the cloud, as well as our design discs. This means we’ve got a color set ready for use immediately, as well as a copy saved securely to a remote server. Better yet, we can even use Kuler to quickly and accurately create color sets for existing items, like previous advertisements or client materials. It’s a wonderful tool, and it’s one that automatically fits within each and every Adobe software we already use. In other words, get on it!
  2. PayPal: If you don’t know what PayPal is, we haven’t got a clue how you’re making it by in this business. Not only do most of our clients tend to pay us using PayPal, but it also happens to be one of the best ways to securely purchase extra materials and items through the Web. Using PayPal, we can also create invoices to send to clients, even invoices with our own logo and custom design. Best of all? PayPal is completely free to set-up. The fees are nominal for each transaction, meaning we get a lot of functionality without having to use a complex or expensive billing software that’s left unattended and unsecured on our hard drive. In other words, if you’re looking to get paid for your designs, we highly suggest you give PayPal a good hard look.