The most obvious tools when you think about graphic design are Photoshop, Inkscape and Gimp, but the majority of designers have more than just these tools available to use. We’ve included two other tools you should consider using and even better, they’re free!

Phatch

Phatch is a great graphic application, where you can create actions to run on a folder of images. There are loads of different actions you can use, including: colorize, contour, crop, invert, mirror, shadow. These are only a handful of options, there are many more available.

Color Scheme Generator

Probably going to be the least used tool in your arsenal, but if you ever need to develop a solid colour scheme then this is perfect. You can create small to large colour schemes and you can retrieve the HEX, HSV and RGB values for each colour.

We continue on our design basics post from last week below;

Size

Designing the right size image is extremely important. Make sure to use scale and proportion so you can indicate the actual size of the object in question.

Space

How much space do you want in your image? Would you like the majority of the image filled with design, because that may come across crowded? You need to find the right mix. So trial and test different versions.

There’s many different stages to your design. You need to question your thought process and understand how you’re using each of the above elements.

You’re beginning your journey in design , but you need to learn the basics. Don’t worry, we’re here to help!

Colour

First let’s discuss colour, which is impactful on design. For example, red shows emotion, passion etc, whilst blue is more cool, peaceful. Think about what you’re designing and what you’re trying to get across from the image.

Shape

You then need to think about shape. Shapes with angles indicate masculinity,  an example – triangles and squares. On the other hand curved shapes tend to indicate femininity. Circles are pleasing to the eye.

Line

Are you going for straight lines or curved lines? Thick or thin, so much again to think about. This is where you test out different versions, as a thicker line can be more impactful to the eye.