Graphic design has rapidly changed with the advancement in technology and software. In 2024, designers have much more powerful tools at their fingertips than ever. Be it designing a simple logo, 3D scene or crafting feature-rich website experiences, the right software will make all the difference.
Producing something beautiful is not enough. It also has to be fit across different media-web, print, video and now even AR. The shift indeed demands flexible tools that integrate well with other platforms for smooth usage and are capable of handling a wide range of design tasks. From industry standard giants, Adobe Creative Cloud, to fast-rising disruptors, Figma and Procreate, this blog reveals some of the innovative tools which will be very helpful for the graphic designers in 2024 and helps them work smarter, not harder.
We are going to look at AI-powered capabilities, new ways for collaboration and tools that meet the gap between creativity and productivity. Keeping fresh with these innovations will help you come up with amazing designs.
1.Canva: The Best Tool for Non-Designers
Canva has been an ultimate friend in graphic design, especially to those with minimal experience. In the year 2024, too, Canva has been leading the way for non-designers because of its friendly interface and ready-to-use library of templates.
One of the major upgrades Canva introduced this year is “Magic Resize,” which resizes designs for different platforms with just one click. If you’re a social media manager or small business owner looking to create compatible branding across multiple channels, canva is a real game changer. Canva has also jumped into the field of artificial intelligence with the “AI Content Generator”. It can automatically create design layouts based on user input and make designing easier for the user by reducing manual work to create professional-looking designs.
Canva enhances perfect efficiency for small businesses, marketers and all those in need of speedy design creation without going really deep into complex software.
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2.Figma: The Best Tool for Collaboration in Design
Since it was developed, Figma has grown to be one of the favourite design tools among UX/UI designers. In 2024, its influence seems to just continue onward. From a web-based design tool, it grew into an independent design platform with features comparable to Adobe.
Figma stands out for its real-time collaboration. Figma introduced “Comment Threads” in 2024 to help team members give the most minute and yet easily trackable feedback. This feature keeps all participants on the same page.
Figma also shared libraries to ensure that designs are consistent for larger projects. It is very helpful when a team is working on a bunch of different projects having the same branding guidelines.
Figma has also added to its ever-growing library of plugins, such as “Auto Layout”, which auto-readjusts elements on screen size change and “Design Lint” for checking your design for inconsistencies.
If you are a UX/UI designer or work in teams, this is one of those things you have to get. With edits in real-time and cloud collaboration, Figma is the application used by your go-to teams for creating and designing their work.
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3.Procreate: A Tool Used for Digital Illustration
Procreate is loved by illustrators, especially those working with the iPad. To many, this is a much more preferable application than Adobe Illustrator or even Photoshop for digital painting.
Procreate, in 2024, released new updates to its Brush Studio, giving users even more control over brush dynamics.
By the use of the new “Pressure and Tilt” feature, strokes can be highly realistic-even to the extent that it’ll feel like you’re working with real-world materials.
Procreate now also allows the illustrator to create frame-by-frame animations with a feature called “Animation Assist.” However, this is not going to replace complete animation software like After Effects but is perfect for creating quick motion graphics and GIFs.
Procreate is great software if you’re a digital illustrator who wants a professional, intuitive interface or is simply after a portable way to easily sketch and paint.
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4.Blender: An Easy Way to Create 3D Designs and Animations
While mainly known to be used for 3D design, Blender is an essential tool among graphic designers, especially because 3D design is getting more and more integrated with marketing and web design. The openness of Blender makes it accessible to everybody who wants to enter the world of 3D modelling, animation and rendering.
Starting in 2024, Blender now allowed major features to its Grease Pencil tool, giving users more substantial control over the 2D animation within the 3D space. This allows graphic designers to mix 2D and 3D elements together, thus opening a wide area of creative possibility.
Improvements in the new rendering engine, called “Eevee”, allows Blender to bridge the gap between real-time previews and final renders. This will let animators and those working with complex visual scenes work even faster.
It should be an ideal choice for designers desiring to experiment with 3D modelling, visual effects, even game design, without having to pay for the expensive membership fees charged by premium software like Maya or Cinema 4D.
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5.Affinity Designer: The Cost-Effective Choice
While other premium tools like adobe dominate the marketplace, Affinity Designer has carved out its own nook with its cost-effectiveness while being a powerful alternative for vector and raster design.
In 2024, Affinity introduced “Shape Builder” and “Vector Warp”, which mimicked some of the most popular features of Illustrator. These tools make creating complicated shapes and designs easier without requiring a subscription-based model. Affinity Designer is fantastically integrated with Affinity Photo and Publisher, enabling users to switch between different levels of creativity-from photo editing to layout design-without ever having to leave the Affinity ecosystem.
If you want a single payment solution with no compromises on features, Affinity Designer is an affordable option for professional-grade designs.
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6.CorelDRAW: A Tool to Aid Professional Designers
CorelDRAW remains a staple for many graphic designers who prefer its unique approach to vector illustration and page layout. In 2024, it continues to hold its own place with powerful features and an intuitive interface.
CorelDRAW introduced a multi-page view, allowing designers to work on multiple designs simultaneously. This feature is perfect for those working on larger projects like brochures or multi-page marketing materials.
The Live Sketch Tool now has more advanced AI enhancements, making it easier to convert rough sketches into polished vector graphics. This is ideal for illustrators and logo designers who start with hand-drawn concepts.
CorelDRAW is a great alternative for those who prefer a different workflow compared to Adobe Illustrator, especially when working on complex vector designs.
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Conclusion:
While the design world is developing further and further, so are the tools for a graphic designer, making the working process more sophisticated and user friendly. Whether you are freelancing, working in house or just starting off in the field, there is an enormous variety of software in 2024 to help one come up with brilliant designs. From Figma, to Canva, followed by Procreate and CorelDRAW diverse design tools each have strengths in catering to multiple design needs and level of skills.
Also Read: Graphic Design Syllabus: Key Topics & Course Curriculum Explained!
Stay up to date with the latest software and ensure your creative process is as productive and innovative as possible.
If you are looking to pursue a career in graphic designing Hamstech is offering a variety of graphic designing courses to cater to the creative flair in you. Enrol in Hamstech’s graphic designing courses and get working towards your dreams!