Emily's Top 10 Tools for Graphic Design Beginners

This is my ultimate go-to app for graphic design. Procreate was specially made to work with the iPad and Apple Pencil products. It's a staple amongst almost all digital illustrators. I use it daily to create both illustrations and animations and it has never failed me. 

They also recently upgraded the type feature so now it's much easier and more efficient to add text to your images. This app is also a great and more affordable replacement for the Adobe Creative Suite or Adobe Illustrator if you don't have access to those more expensive programs.

I know I'm not the only one with this issue, but I find that the iPad screen is very slippery, especially with a pen stylus. If you want to add more precision to your work, this paperlike screen protector mimics a matte paper texture. It allows for a non-slip surface to use your stylus as you would a pencil on paper. 

This specific pack from Amazon comes with two screen protectors and is very affordable as well. Paperlike protectors would be especially great if you're into lettering on Procreate!

This was my best-kept secret until now... If you've ever needed a mockup of a product, you know that most require Photoshop to view, download, and edit them. However, if you download a mockup and don't have access to the Adobe software, this is a free online Photoshop alternative. 

This is also amazing if you want to send a client an edible file - which you could do in Canva Premium, but I think this is a much better alternative. All your client has to do is download your file on this website and it will perform exactly as Photoshop does.

Creative Market is sort of like Etsy, but only for digital files created by other designers. I often just browse Creative Market for their new releases and inspiration. I purchase products from Creative Market all the time for new unique fonts, gorgeous mockups, and new Procreate brushes to play around with. 

All of their products cost at least $3, but if you sign up and spend $5, you're able to download three free goods! This is also a great resource if you want to list products as a designer and make extra income.

This product is a new one to me, but I've been really enjoying it. It's a glove that covers two of your fingers for when you're using a tablet and stylus. This prevents your other fingers from smudging on the tablet screen and allows for much smoother lines. 

There are a few similar products listed on Amazon, but this one specifically is a women's glove, so I knew it would fit my hand. It's only $5.99, so it's super affordable. The only downside is that it looks a bit strange when you put it on, but it's definitely worth it!

I always see an interesting new font I want to use on Pinterest or from other designers and wonder what font they used. This website allows you to upload a photo of the font and it will give you similar font suggestions that you can download for your designs. 

The downside is that if the image isn't of great quality, the website won't be able to correctly detect any fonts, which has happened to me a few times. I especially like that you can download these fonts directly from the website.

This is a great new stylus that I just purchased from Amazon. It allows for super precision and has a rubber hand grip. What I like best about this is that it looks and feels like a normal ballpoint pen. It also has a clear tip so you can see exactly where you'll be drawing with the pen. 

I find that the Apple pencil can sometimes be too 'slippery', so this is a great alternative. It's also a lot more affordable than the Apple Pencil and comes with two pens and replacement heads for each.

This is another resource that may seem obvious, but I think it is a lesser-known tool the way I use it. I often set up mood boards with my graphic design clients before beginning a larger project. This allows them to add pins that relate to their 'brand vision' and for me to give them suggestions based on that specific project. 

These boards make the design process a whole lot easier when you're able to get a visual idea of what your client is looking for. It also makes it convenient to have your inspiration in one place instead of in your camera roll like the way I used to do it!

I've tried more DIY website design services than I'd like to admit. After months of struggling with website hosting plans and paying for expensive custom website layouts, I finally decided to give Squarespace a try. 

I can say hands-down that Squarespace is the easiest and most professional-looking website creating program if you're looking for a do-it-yourself option. I can't believe how easy it was to set up my portfolio and contact page in comparison to other custom sites. 

If you're a student, you can also get 50% off of your first annual plan and a free custom domain!

Behance is a fantastic free portfolio website and one of the most popular among designers. This makes it easy to show future clients your history of work without having to set up a custom website, which can be costly and time-consuming. 

The interface makes your portfolio look super professional without having to do custom coding. You can also browse other users' work and save it to your mood board for future reference. I would recommend any graphic designer to upload to Behance even if they don't have many designs yet.