- Hello and welcome to this beginners guide series
to graphic design, from what graphic design is,
skills to be a graphic designer, design theory,
education you need, equipment you need,
to the graphic design portfolio, and interview advice.
This series is for anyone at any level,
so if you're interested in graphic design
and considering becoming a graphic designer,
then join me as I discuss a series of graphic design topics.
(upbeat music)
Graphic design is a very broad
and diverse creative discipline.
To develop your design ideas
and bring it all to life,
you will need a variety of equipment.
In this video, I'm going to discuss the equipment I use
and how I use it, all of which
I would recommend to you as a beginner.
Everything I will be talking about in this video
will be listed in the PDF series guide
with web links to find out more.
Link is in the description.
For this video, I am going to list
the various equipment into two categories;
essentials and accessories.
The essentials are equipment I would recommend
any designer as must haves
and the accessories are what you can use
depending on your choice.
So before I begin, I must stress
that I have not been sponsored for this video
by any company or brand.
All of the following products I'm about to list
are what I use and would recommend.
So let's start by looking at the essentials.
So the first, essential equipment I use
and recommend is drawing equipment.
For this, I would recommend a range of graphic pencils
and a range of drawing markers.
These are the basic drawing tools you will need
and I use during the design process;
sketching, drawing scamps, developing ideas,
or drawing storyboards.
So I use the Staedtler Mars micro graphic pencil
and I have both the 0.3 and the 0.5 millimeter range.
To develop scamps
and develop my ideas, I typically use the graphic pencil
to lay down light sketches,
and then, draw over these with a range of markers.
To draw over my initial sketches, I use a range
of black markers in various weights to create
and communicate dynamics in my sketches.
The markers I use are Staedtler
with their range of Lumo black permanent markers.
I find these really easy to work with
and they come in a range of super fine,
fine, medium, and bold.
The ink is good quality and the tips are good quality
and are really nice to draw with.
Next, I recommend you get some color pens.
For this, I would recommend a set of colored Fineliners
and a range of graphic markers,
preferably with the three-tip ends for various tip strokes.
I use Staedtler Triplus Fineliner pens.
I find these really easy to draw with, with vibrant colors.
I use these to add color to my sketches and scamps.
For more rich full-color shading, I use Letraset Promarkers.
Now, these can be quite expensive.
I generally buy them one at a time by color.
Chances are you're not going to need every color.
To start, you could consider buying
a small pack with some common colors.
So to keep all my drawing equipment together,
I use a pen case.
I use this Staedtler case which actually
comes with the Fineliner set.
This is a lightweight case which you can roll up
and keep all your additional drawing equipment in.
It's neat and compact
and I generally keep this on me at all times.
Next, I recommend you get some Tipex.
I find this helps correct and refine my scamps.
I use this Pentel Micro.
This one is great as it has a needle tip,
so you can apply it in a nice controlled way.
So that's some drawing equipment I use.
So next, I would recommend a range of graphic layout paper.
Now, graphic layout paper is great to develop ideas
and is my favorite medium to work on.
For this, I use
and would recommend a Goldline Layout Pad A4 or A3.
This layout paper is lightweight, you get a lot of sheets,
and it's semi-opaque, which means you can use it to trace.
I usually sketch out my ideas and compositions,
and trace over them to refine
and clear up a design, which I will often
scan into the computer.
When drawing more technical subjects,
like typography and geographic shapes
and designs, I use a range of grid layer paper.
Next, I recommend you get some
foldback clips in various sizes.
I find these mega useful and I carry them around with me.
As you develop ideas on paper
and gather research, you will soon build up lots of paper.
These clips are great for keeping your work in order
and allow you to be flexible to rearrange your work
and add to it.
Next, Post-it notes and sticky neon indexing bookmark tabs.
So a pretty obvious one, but I find these really useful,
not only for taking notes,
but when looking through books and research material.
These can be really handy to bookmark your references.
Next, I would recommend you get a scrapbook folder.
To me, this is really important.
As you collect inspiration material,
you're going to need somewhere to keep it all
for future reference.
For this, I use an A3 earthbound portfolio
where I place all my found objects.
This keeps them all together in one place.
I also use the foldback clips here, too,
to organize my collections into various categories.
Next, you will need a scalpel, metal ruler,
and a cutting mat.
Now, I find myself always printing
and cutting things out, whether it's for presentations
or doing development.
I use the Swann Morton number three
stainless steel scalpel handle with 10A replacement blades.
I use a Wescott stainless steel ruler
and a Am-Tech A3 cutting mat.
Next, I recommend you get a suitable camera.
Now chances are you will have a camera on your smartphone,
which is great because you will
always have it on you everywhere you go.
If not, any digital camera will do.
This is an essential bit of kit I use
to take pictures of inspiration or reference
in the field to add to my scrapbook.
Next, job folders.
As I develop research
and design ideas, I like to keep it
all in its own job folder.
This is also good to keep everything
grouped up when a project is done.
For this, I generally use clear plastic A3 cases
and file those away.
So the final piece of essential kit I recommend you get,
which is a pretty important part these days,
is an adequate computer.
Now, a lot of people ask me what's best, a PC or a Mac?
Well, today, they are both great to work on
and the software tools run the same way on both,
so this really comes down to your choice.
Here, I would recommend you get whatever
feels most comfortable to you.
But what you need to be sure of
is that whatever computer you get,
make sure it has an adequate specification
to run your creative software, enough RAM with a good CPU.
Personally, I use a Mac, but that's my personal preference.
So once you have your computer,
you will need the creative software tools.
Currently, I'm signed up to Adobe Creative Cloud.
I have the full subscription,
so I have access to all the software,
although I only use specific programs.
For you to bring your design to life,
I would recommend you get your hands
on Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign.
These are the big three you will need to get to grips with.
In the next video,
I will be talking about these three programs in more depth.
So that is the essential equipment I use
and I make sure that I'm never without them.
So next is my accessories list.
These are additional tools and equipment I use
and would recommend,
but they're not as vital as the essentials.
So for this, I would recommend a project folder or case.
Now, I have one very similar to this one here in A3.
I find this really useful to keep all my project work in,
where it's all compact in one place.
These are also really great for students.
You should be able to carry everything you need
in one of these when you attend a class;
your pads, your drawing equipment, and so on.
This is great to carry it all in.
Next, I would recommend highlighters.
Now, I'm obsessed with making lists.
To get things done, I make lists
and I always have an orange highlighter
to mark off what I've done.
Feels so good to mark things off, so if you're like me
and you like making lists,
I recommend you get some of these.
Next, I would recommend a scanner and printer.
Now, I tend to work a lot with my drawings and sketches.
To get these onto computer, I use a Canon CanoScan.
This is a lightweight USB-powered scanner.
Over the years, I have had a range of printers,
but right now, I'm using the A4 Canon PIXMA iP7250
color wireless inkjet printer.
This is really neat with a compact design,
takes individual ink cartridges, and prints borderless.
This range is also available up to A3 plus.
Now, if you find yourself printing large documents,
I recommend you get a telescopic transport tube.
I used one of these to store and transport large prints.
Next, I would recommend you get a graphics tablet.
Now, some may argue that this
is an essential piece of kit for a graphic designer.
Personally, I don't use my tablet all that much.
I generally only use mine when I'm doing some retouching
in Photoshop or digital drawing
or painting in Illustrator.
When doing a task like this,
I find the job is much more comfortable
and natural using a graphics tablet.
I'm currently using a Wacom tablet.
So next, you can consider getting a color calibrator
for your monitor or monitors.
Now, these are amazing for calibrating your monitor
to get more accurate color profiles,
especially if you're doing work for print.
For this, you could use the Spyder4 PRO Advanced.
If you have multiple monitors connected to your computer,
this can calibrate them all.
So the last thing I'd recommend
you get is a random crafts box.
Now, every designers should have one of these
and make sure it's full of all other stationary equipment
you would use, such as masking tape,
double-sided sticky tape, a range of glues, paints, brushes,
and so on, all of which come in handy
during to the course of a creative project.
So that is some of the equipment I use
and would recommend you acquire,
which will help you with your design process.
If you'd like to take a closer look
at the list I have mentioned in this video,
you can find out more in the PDF document
that accompanies this video series.
Download link is in the description.
So what equipment do you use?
Do you have any other equipment you would recommend?
Be sure to share your comments below.
Well, I hope you enjoyed this video.
If you did, hit the like button on my Facebook page.
If you'd like to see more videos like this in future,
hit the subscribe button.
And you can also follow my Twitter, @TastyTuts.
So to develop your design ideas,
you will need to use an array of hands-on equipment.
To bring your design to life on computer,
you will need to use creative software tools.
In the next video, I'm going to talk about
the many creative programs that are used
in the design industry, which you will want
to acquire and become proficient in.
I will also be discussing which programs are best
to use in which particular design scenario,
so see you in the next video.
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