Real-world favorites from a graphic designer who lives and breathes this stuff.
There are a million blog posts out there listing “the best tools for graphic designers”—and most of them sound like someone skimmed Amazon reviews and called it research. This isn’t that. These are the actual tools I use every day to create branding, packaging, ads, websites, and more. They’re investments that make my work easier, faster, and (let’s be honest) way more fun.
🖥 iMac: The Creative Powerhouse
There’s something about a big, beautiful iMac that just makes design work feel…official. I use an iMac for all my heavy-duty creative projects. The 4.5K Retina display is stunning, colors are ultra-accurate, and the 10-core CPU means it can breeze through Photoshop files with a million layers without breaking a sweat.
🔗 Shop the 2024 iMac I recommend here
🎨 Wacom Tablet: Goodbye Mouse, Hello Magic
True story: I haven’t used a mouse in years. Once I got hooked on a Wacom tablet, there was no going back. The control, the pressure sensitivity, the way it feels like you’re physically drawing—it’s a total game-changer for graphic design, photo editing, and even simple everyday tasks.
I keep two sizes:
- A medium-sized Wacom tablet on my desk for big projects where I need more space and control.
- A small one tucked into my travel bag so I can work seamlessly on the road.
It did take a few weeks to fully transition, but now it’s second nature. (And bonus: no more mouse hand cramps.)
🔗 Here’s the Wacom tablet I use and recommend
📷 iPhone: A Creator’s Secret Weapon
I use my iPhone for everything from quick photoshoots to behind-the-scenes videos for social media. The cameras on these phones are no joke anymore—you can absolutely capture professional-level images without lugging around a DSLR. Good lighting + editing apps = magic.
I love having it ready at a moment’s notice for snapping product shots, textures, or even recording time-lapse videos of design projects.
🔗 Here’s the iPhone tablet I use and recommend
💻 Adobe Creative Cloud: My Daily Workspace
Love it, hate it, can’t live without it. Adobe Creative Cloud is where I spend about 80% of my workday. Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign—they’re my holy trinity. Yes, the subscription fee stings a little, but for serious designers, it’s an essential investment.
🔗 Here’s the Adobe Creative Could I use and recommend
Final Thoughts: Good Tools Are Good Energy
The right tools don’t just make your work better—they make your whole workday smoother, lighter, and more inspiring.
And if you’re going to be staring at a screen for 8+ hours, designing brands that change the world (or at least turn a few heads), you deserve the best setup you can swing.
P.S. Some of these links are Amazon affiliate links. If you grab something using them, I may earn a small commission—no extra cost to you, just extra coffee money for me. Thanks for supporting the little (design) guy!
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