Top 10 home-based graphic design business items I can’t live without
I’ve been running a home-based graphic design business for over 5 years. Over these years, I’ve come to know what things I just LOVE to have around and use. Some of these items may come as surprise, while others are more obvious. Either way, I hope you can gain some insight into these business and graphic design items I cannot live without.
1. iMac
Obvious, right? It may surprise you that I’ve only had my iMac for a couple years. It was one of those “one day” purchases for a very very long time. You see, I have always done all of my work on a windows – that’s what I’ve always had.
A few years ago I took some visual technology courses in college, I walked into the classroom and sat behind a windows computer. Within 30 minutes of the class beginning, the professor made us all change to the computer that we were not familiar with. There I was, sitting behind a Mac. It was really challenging to learn a new operating system, and keyboard shortcuts.
However, that one practice of forcing to learn another computer was so crucial. Because now I can design on either operating system! Ever since those college days, I have always wanted a Mac. They are the design standard for visual arts. My husband purchased an iMac for me a couple years ago and I really enjoy using it every single day.
2. Adobe Illustrator
Adobe Illustrator is a vector graphic design program. I use Illustrator every single day. It is my work. When I go to work, I open up Illustrator. It is the ONLY program I use when making my designs. Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom are also used, but only in cases of manipulating or editing photographs, never for graphic design purposes only.
In the past, before I knew anything of graphic design, I used Microsoft Word to make my designs. Or I would use a scrapbooking program that my mom bought me in my teenage years. I learned photoshop when I became a professional photographer in 2009, and it eventually led me to learning Illustrator. I cannot dream of designing on any other software now!
3. Font Picker
I am a self-proclaimed font nerd and always have been. Often, I joke that most girls like to spend money on clothes, makeup, and shoes – well I am not “most girls” and I like to spend my money on fonts. Yep, show me a good font site and I go crazy.
Because of my font addiction, I have a lot of fonts. My dilemma is, how do I SEE the font and what it looks like in the text that I am needing. For example, when I created the logo for this website, I wanted the word “pixels” to be a feminine, cute, but not-so-fancy, readable font. Enter: Font Picker.
Font Picker is an Apple application on my iMac computer. It was a $4 application I downloaded from the app store. In it, I can type out the text I will be using and scroll through all of my fonts. This way, I can see which looks the best for the use I am needing it for. Font Picker makes it easier to find fonts for graphic design projects.
For a similar Windows-based font program, try NexusFont.
4. DSLR Camera
As mentioned before, I was a professional photographer. I photographed professionally from 2009 to 2014 but I still do photoshoots for close family – including my own. I have always owned a DSLR camera. Basically a DSLR camera is a camera that gives me full control of the exposure of my photographs. I photograph ALWAYS on full-manual mode and this can only be done with a DSLR camera.
I learned photography on a non-digital camera. Yes, that means it was film. Even though that sounds super dated, it was the best way to learn photography and the mechanics of exposing a photograph properly. Through the years, I’ve owned multiple Canon cameras. Now, I own and use a Sony a6000. It is perfect for my needs, which is mostly to photograph my kids. It’s small but powerful!
5. Vinyl Cutter
I started my vinyl decal business in 2014 when I ended my photography business. Having a vinyl business just happened upon me, but it has been so so so much fun. So of course, I NEED a vinyl cutter for my business, that’s a no-brainer. But I will always have a vinyl cutter because they are FUN. I am always using my cutter for purposes other than my products we make and ship out worldwide. I’ve used my vinyl cutter for our family’s halloween costumes, my kids valentines boxes at school, posters, banners, and holiday decorations.
6. Tools
Not just any tools, vinyl tools. Again, this one may be a no-brainer. But I simply could not live without my exacto knives and weeding tools. It’s a big deal when one of these tools goes missing around my office! Exacto knives are used in cutting off the trim of vinyl projects, and making small and intricate fixes. Weeding tools remove the unnecessary parts of the vinyl sheet that have been cut with the vinyl cutter.
7. iPhone/Apple Watch
My love for apple products extend beyond just my iMac. I really enjoy the integration between all the Apple products I have, which includes my iPhone and Apple Watch.
My Apple Watch keeps me on track with my fitness goals and my motherly duties. The timer reminds me to switch the laundry, the ping feature helps me find my lost phone around the house, and the activity rings keep my physical fitness in check!
My iPhone is of course my little mini-computer. I use it for the same reasons anyone else has a smartphone. My favorite ways to use my iPhone are to message Etsy customers on the spot, to take a million photographs of my kids, to edit those photographs, keep a journal, make a movie, listen to podcasts, study the scriptures, scroll through social media, check emails, see what the wind forecast will be for boating weather, exercise, etc.!
8. Photoshop & Lightroom
Aside from Adobe Illustrator, my two other favorite go-to applications are also from Adobe; Photoshop and Lightroom!
Photoshop is a photo manipulator and editor. I do not recommend photoshop for editing multiple photos. I only use photoshop when I need to remove a background, remove an unwanted item, (like pimples, or a person in the background) or to swap heads on family portraits. Photoshop is amazing for colorizing and fine-tuning photo edits.
Adobe Lightroom is absolutely a game changer for photo edits. When I do a large photoshoot, I can load all of my images into Lightroom and pick and choose which photos to edit. When I like a particular edit on one photo, I can apply the same edit from that photo, other photos. Additionally, I can do minor “photoshop” edits like clearing skin, whitening teeth, lightening or darkening specific parts of an image, etc.
9. Freepik
Freepik.com is the biggest life-saver. Freepik has pre-made vector files and stock photography. I use pre-made vector files frequently so that I do not have to design certain elements or shapes from scratch – I can use something that someone has already made. It makes my design process come together really well.
Think of it like you are a baker. The baker does not personally create and grow the wheat needed in his bread, or the sugar, spices, eggs, etc. The baker merely adds these ingredients to make a new creation. In our case, a graphic design. I can take certain elements that I like from pre-made vectors, tweak them to my liking if needed, and add it to my design creation.
The premium membership that I have is awesome and gives access to more designs. Also, I do not need to contribute my design to the original contributor of the design.
10. Fonts
As you may have already guessed, I’m a bit of a font freak. I currently have 1244 fonts, and I add to it pretty much daily.
Some of my favorite places to get fonts are:
Font Squirrel and Google Fonts have free fonts for commercial use. The other three sites usually have bundle deals on commercial fonts that I take advantage of to get lots of fun pretty fonts! Creative Market and Creative Fabrica both have really good freebies to take advantage of!
Well, there you have it. My Top 10 home-based graphic design business items I can’t live without. Do you have anything that you cannot live without? I’d love to know! I tend to get stuck in my ways and should search out technologies and apps that could help my workflow.
