I recently had someone ask what tools I use for my designs so I decided to put together this post to highlight the nine design tools and resources I use.

Adobe Photoshop

Photoshop, as most commonly called, was the first design tool I worked with when I started my design journey (Corel Draw doesn’t count). Adobe Photoshop is a software that is majorly used for raster image editing, graphic design and digital art. It was specifically designed to allow users create and edit raster images in multiple layers.  It utilises layering to allow for depth and flexibility in the design and editing process. I majorly use Photoshop for photo-manipulation.Learn more

Adobe Illustrator

Currently my most used design tool. Adobe Illustrator, unlike Photoshop, is a vector graphics editor and design software. It’s the ultimate tool to bring your creative design visions to life. Designs made with illustrator can be used virtually any where e.g print, web and apps, video and animations, and more. I use illustrator majorly for identity designs and illustrations. I’ve also used it for some print designs.Learn more

Adobe XD

Adobe XD is simply a vector-based user experience design tool for web apps and mobile apps.Learn more

Figma

Just like Adobe XD, Figma is a vector-based UX Design and prototyping tool. It is primarily web based, however, it has offline features through the desktop application available on MacOS and Windows.Learn more

Adobe Color

Formerly called Kuler, Adobe Color is probably one of the most exciting tools on this list. Adobe Color is a colour palette generator. It allows you generate colour schemes for your designs from either the cooler wheel or from images. You can also browse through thousands of colour palettes already created by the community.Learn more

Dribbble

Dribble is basically a social networking platform to showcase your creative work to a community of professional designers. It serves as a design portfolio platform, jobs and recruiting site and is one of the largest platforms for designers to share their work online. For me, Dribbble is one of the best places to draw design inspiration.Learn more

Behance

Similar to Dribbble, Behance is a creative network for showcasing and discovering creative work.Learn more

Unsplash

When it comes to stock images, Unsplash is my goto. They provide High Definition, free-to-use images under the Unsplash license. Learn more

Icons8

Icons8 is the ultimate tool for icons. With over 900 thousand free icons, you can never run out of assets for your designs. Learn more

Let me know in the comments which of these tools you know, use or will consider using.