Graphic designer, a profession with a great future

Studying graphic design, a way out of the future

Professions oriented to the technological sectors have been, for several years, the most demanded and the best paid. Study graphic design, programming languages, Blockchain, dominate social networks ... are some of the studies that best career opportunities they have in the market, both national and international.

Unlike other studies, where kneeling your elbows is essential, if we talk about graphic design things changes, since not everyone has the same mental agility to create a design from scratch based on specific guidelines that must be reflected.

But, one thing is to have mental agility and another is to have enough knowledge to translate our ideas into digital media. Designing with pencil and paper is fine for bohemians, but in the labor market it is not practical beyond allowing a quick sketch to be shown to a potential client who may be interested in hiring our services.

The number of tools that we have at our disposal varies depending on where we want to go guide our career, although it is necessary (if not mandatory) to know the operation of both design, layout and vector applications.

We are in 2020, the differences between macOS and Windows in terms of operation, application availability and performance do not exist. Although traditionally graphic design has always been associated with Mac, at present that association is ambiguous.

A PC with powerful hardware offers us the same or better performance than a Mac, sometimes for considerably less money. The software most used by graphic designers is created by Adobe (which dominates the market and has practically no competition), not by Apple as is the case with Final Cut (a video editing program exclusive to macOS), so applications that it offers are available in both ecosystems with the same functionalities.

Design applications

Design applications

If we talk about graphic design applications we have to talk about Photoshop, an application that just turned 30 years in the market, and it's available on both Windows, macOS, and most recently iPadOS. We can talk little or nothing about this application that you do not know as a fan of graphic design or photography.

A completely free alternative to Photoshop, we find it in the free software GIMP, an application that drinks a lot from Photoshop and that offers us practically the same functions as the most veteran graphic design application. GIMP is available for both Windows and macOS and Linux.

Affinity Photo is another of the alternatives that we have at our disposal, an application that offers us practically the same functions as Photoshop but with a lower level of adjustment options. Like Photoshop, this app is available for Windows, macOS, and iPadOS.

Layout applications

Applications and software for layout

One thing is design and another is machining, one part equal or more important than the design itself. Adobe puts at our disposal the Indesign application, an application with which we can carry out our projects by gathering in the same place texts, images, tables, graphics ... with which we can create from simple advertising brochures to complete magazines, interactive books ...

One of the applications that in recent years has managed to gain an important niche in the layout market is Affinity Designer, an excellent alternative to Adobe Indesign that also allows us to layout any type of work, from books to magazines, through advertising posters, documents ...

Vector applications

Vector design software

CorelDRAW is the Photoshop of vector graphic design applications. This application that celebrated its 31st anniversary at the beginning of the year, has become on its own merits the best application on the market of this type, an application is available on both Windows and macOS.

An alternative to the almighty CorelDRAW is found, once again, in Adobe by the hand of Illustrator. An application that offers us a large number of options but that CorelDRAW is still a long way off.

Digitizer tablets

Digitizer tablets for designing

In addition to the applications, we may also need a digitizing tablet, a device that allows us to draw by hand translating the content into an application to later retouch and / or modify according to our needs. If we are looking for quality, the manufacturer that offers the best quality in this type of device at Wacom, who also offers us a wide range of products to cover all needs.

Another option is to opt for an iPad Pro in the company of an Apple Pencil. The problem is the price since we do not go below 1.000 euros Although we opt for the smaller capacity model, a nonsense in this profession, and to which we have to add the price of the Apple Pencil. Using an iPad Pro does not require a Mac, as the applications available for this device are also available on Windows.

To consider

Both design, layout and vector applications offer us a very similar interface, so if over time we do not finish with a specific application, we can change to another of the same style without having to start from scratch to know the main functions that it offers us. The important thing is to have the basic knowledge of using each type of application.

Another point that we must take into account is the cost. All Adobe applications offered through a monthly subscription, so every month we have to pay to use them. This subscription offers us storage in the cloud, the possibility of using all the applications through a browser without having to install them on our computer, as well as other quite interesting advantages.

However, the tools that Affinity makes available to us, they are one-time payment (55 euros each application without promotion), like CorelDRAW, although its price is much higher (exceeds 700 euros). If Affinity had an alternative to CorelDRAW in its catalog of applications, with the prices it offers us, it would be one of the best options to consider if we want to get started in the graphic design profession.


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