Graphic Design Software

From automobiles to the logo on your tennis shoe, elements of graphic design are ubiquitous in our culture today. With the help of computers, the field of graphic design has exploded recently, letting artists quickly and easily create art in a variety of forms. Earlier designers, and those who still stand by the traditional methods, don't have the luxury of the "undo" command and the other perks of working in a digital medium.

There are a number of types of graphic design applications, from Computer Aided Design (CAD)--used by architects and other technical people for complex modeling and design work--to Flash, a product of Macromedia that allows web artists to create web-based animations. Every non-technical company and industry uses design in creating stationery, newsletters, or signage. With applications in nearly every industry, one of the most confusing aspects of graphic design software is the sheer number of versions of it.

There are no hard and fast rules for choosing design software, but a good rule of thumb is to stick with programs that have a common "feel." Many companies, such as Adobe, have different software programs for specific disciplines. If you use one Adobe product for designing newsletters and another for creating drawings, you'll find that the layout, tools, and terminology translates easily between the programs.

Another consideration in buying design software is getting what you really need. One program may give you the ability to import images, create your own, make films, and publish them to a website. Don't be swayed to get all the bells and whistles if all you need, for instance, is a word processing program to edit text.