If you were to ask a graphic designer what program suite they prefer to work on, nine times out of 10 the program name will be preceded by “Adobe”.
Professional graphic designers (and we say ‘professional’ to distinguish the designers from the people who are just interested in graphic design) are extremely loyal to this suite of products as they are intuitive and function just as graphic designers need them to.
There are several programmes which are in Adobe Creative Cloud. In this article, we’ll have a look at some of these that graphic designers use most frequently.
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe Illustrator is a vector graphics program. By ‘vector graphics program’, we mean that if a graphic designer uses Illustrator, they can manipulate graphic images using mathematical and geometric commands as opposed to the clicks and strokes which are used in drawing software.
This program is preferred by graphic designers when they are working on a project that is not text-heavy and doesn’t require a double-page (or similar) layout. Projects that Adobe Illustrator is perfectly suited to are logos and icons. The fact that it is a ‘vector’ program allows the design to be scaled as small, or as large, as is needed.
Adobe InDesign
Another programme in the Creative Cloud is Adobe InDesign. This is the preferred program among graphic designers who are involved in publishing – be it magazine or book layouts, or a similar document that needs a lot of text laid out. A good example is an annual report.
First appearing on the graphic design scene in 1999, InDesign has evolved from a program on physical CDs. When you needed a new version, it would be necessary to buy the upgraded package from a retail IT shop. However, with InDesign now being part of Creative Cloud – and you needing to pay a monthly subscription to be able to enjoy the package, updates are available to download as and when they become available.
Adobe Photoshop
When graphic designers are working with imagery, sometimes the image may need to be touched up or recoloured, to highlight a certain aspect of the picture. To make this happen, a graphic designer will use Adobe Photoshop.
Photoshop is not just about editing images, you can also create:
- Photorealistic Mock-ups
- Flat Mock-ups
- Flyers
- Posters
- Logos
- Badges
- Infographics
Related to Photoshop is Lightroom, which you can also find on the Creative Cloud. This also allows you to edit photos in addition to organising them, storing them as well as sharing them.
The power of Adobe Creative Cloud is undeniable. However, if you do decide that you want to delve into this software, and create beautiful design projects, make sure that you know what you’re doing. There are great tutorials online which you can go through to get to grips with what Creative Cloud can do. Alternatively, if you prefer a face-to-face learning experience, there are a lot of colleges out there which to offer training in this suite of programs.