Graphic Design Programs

Starting your own graphic design business is a great way to make money online or off, but what software program do you choose?  There are plenty out there that offer different price points and learning curves, as well as capabilities.  You don't want to pay for something you aren't going to need but at the same time you don't want to spend your resources on software that doesn't do the job for you.  Well, I think I can help out.  With the information I have assembled I can offer you a great full-proof method for choosing which design software to employ for your business needs.

You can start looking at the high end for software like Adobe Photoshop ($699) or Adobe Illustrator ($599) and dive right in, but both of these programs, while accessible, have a steep learning curve for a newcomer.  CorelDRAW is a less expensive option at around $360, but it too will require some effort to learn how to operate it.  So where do you learn these programs?

There are no shortage of 'Dummies' books on the market to walk you thru these individual programs and teach you the finer points of getting started, but you may not need all the information in the book and it may take you quite awhile to get thru the massive volumes they comprise.  Another option are training videos.  You Tube is full of training videos for Adobe and CorelDRAW and individuals put up new techniques or cool tricks they have learned all the time.  The web is amazing as when someone learns how to do something it is usually passed on to others in the community to try for themselves.

GIMP is a great program to consider as well.  It is a powerful image editing software and the best part is it's totally FREE!  GIMP also has plenty of tutorials online to get you over the learning curve.  So which one of these is right for you?

Well you already know you can try GIMP for free, but it's not the first one I would download.  If you have an expense budget in mind for software I would highly recommend downloading the trial versions of Adobe's products, which I believe are still 30 days.  Watch a few training videos and get a feel for the software and then when your trial is over, download GIMP.  You will then be able to compare the higher cost option to the free option and decide which is best for you.  If you are going to buy a suite I would try CorelDRAW also just to make sure it doesn't work better for what you are trying.  I believe their trial is currently 15 days, so trying them last, after you already have a grasp of how these type of programs work and what you need to look for, would be best. 

If you decide you want to use Photoshop, Illustrator, or both, you could qualify for an education discount on this software.  If you are a student, or if you have a child in any grade level you can take advantage of this discount.  It is significant so check in to it.  Take a look at some comparisons of these different programs and decide which one might work for you.

Don't forget that picking a design software is just one of the first steps in getting your business going.  You might want to check out a course in graphic design.  Keeping moving forward and, Happy Designing!