Software is as important to graphic designers as spices are to cooks. Programs such as Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator are essential. The software enables designers to create original work and to build and transform artwork into various styles. Software is used for everything from retouching photographs to creating three-dimensional designs and animation. In today's technology driven world, graphic artists are only limited by the software they have at their disposal and their ability to master software applications.
Graphics professionals must build a broad collection of papers and boards of various weights and sizes to accommodate projects and tasks. For example, an ample supply of presentation-quality boards is needed to display layouts and designs for advertisements and storyboards to depict proposed scenes for filming. Presentation boards must be heavy enough to stand up on an easel so the boards can stand on a conference room table. Additional must-haves include vellum tracing paper for sketching, and paper with grid lines for architectural layouts, graphics that require scalable dimensions for package designs, and to lay out the space requirements for an in-store display or trade show exhibit.
Graphic designers need an arsenal of adhesives for preparing presentation materials and building prototypes. Spray adhesives are essential to prepare presentation boards. Designers must stock "repositionable" and "non-repositionable" permanent spray adhesives. Repositionable adhesives allow the designer to move an illustration or photograph on a paper surface, such as a mounting board. Non-repositionable adhesives are used to permanently adhere artwork for developing product and packaging prototypes. Glues that can be squirted or painted on are needed to adhere wood and different weights of objects. Epoxy-based glues are essential to adhering components to create a product or packaging prototype.
Graphic artists also rely on tapes. Masking tape is used to provide a temporary and repositionable fixing of artwork elements. Clear tapes camouflage adhesiveness so the main visual elements are not obstructed. Double-sided tapes allow designers to adhere pieces to a mounting board, and then follow up with a mat board.
A graphic artist must keep a variety of measuring devices. Basic "must haves" include a T-square of at 24 to 36 inches, several lengths of steel rulers with rubber backs, retractable steel measuring tapes and protractors. While much work is done on a computer, you will also need to measure objects for accurate development of layouts and designs.
Graphic designers rely on rolls of backdrop paper. At minimum, they must have rolls of solid black, white, green and blue. The backdrops are used to photograph products and people to use in developing layouts. A black or white backdrop is classic for manipulating lighting so that the best features of the subject matter are pronounced. Blue and green backdrops are used to get a solo shot of the product, a model or a visual element, so the key visual element can be duplicated, manipulated or inserted into various computerized or animated backgrounds.