The Best Gear for Graphic Designers (Sorted by Career Level & Price)

Throughout your career as a graphic designer, illustrator, or any other creative role you may have, there are generally three-mile markers during your career.

1. When you’re just starting your career right out of college.
2. The mid-point in your career where you’ve had some success and have some great clients, but you haven’t reached the level of a seasoned pro.
3. When you’re a seasoned pro, you’ve been working in the field for a good amount of years, have a Rolodex that is bursting at the seams, and loving life.

We started to wonder what the best gear for each stop along the way would be. What tools would not only help you succeed at that point but help you move to the next one as well? With that in mind, we crafted a list of the Best Tools for Graphic Designers including the best software, hardware, and equipment, and broke it down by each point in your career. That way, you can be at the top of your game no matter where you are in the game.

Before buying anything, there are three major points to consider before you buy anything.

If you’re ready, let’s begin.

Things to Consider When Buying Graphic Design Tech

Cost

Depending on your situation, considering the cost of the gear that you use on a day-to-day basis could be very important. If you’re just starting out running your own business, funds may be at a minimum so the cost that the gear you use may come into play much more than if you have been running a successful business for several years.

Quality

With cost, comes quality. For many products, the higher the price, the better the quality the item has. This can also pertain to the way an item feels in your hands or when you are using it. Regardless of the price, a piece of tech that feels cheaply made when you use it will probably not last very long and you’ll be forced to replace it much sooner than you may have anticipated.

Comfort

We all love to feel comfortable right? Whether it is our favorite pair of jeans, chair, or piece of gear, being comfortable while using it is perhaps the most important thing to consider. The gear you choose will be used repeatedly in your line of work. Choosing something that makes you uncomfortable will just make your work suffer over time.

The Best Gear for Graphic Designers in 2024

We know that when you’re in the market for new gear or simply window shopping for your next upgrade, going through list after list just to find the one product that you are interested in can become mind-numbingly painful.

Because the adage, “time is money” can ring truer for some people more now than ever, we wanted to provide you, dear reader, with a handy, clickable guide broken down into the different stages in your career to make finding the best gear as easy as possible.

Check below to see a full listing of the Best Tools for Graphic Designers in 2024, for both beginners and professionals. Feel free to click the link for any product on the list to be taken right to it.

10 Best Tools for Graphic Design Beginners (Budget Gear)

The total for all these tools is approximately $2,500.

• Laptop: Microsoft Surface Go 2 laptop – Best budget laptop for beginner designers
• and/or Desktop Computer: HP Pavilion 590 – The best budget-friendly PC for graphic design
• Monitor: Alienware 25 – The best budget-friendly monitor for graphic design
• Tablet: XP-Pen Artist 15.6 pen display – The best affordable pen display tablet
• Mouse: Logitech M330 Silent Plus – The best silent mouse
• Printer: HP Envy 5055 Printer – The best budget printer for freelancers
• Camera: Olympus Tough TG-6 – The best camera that can take a beating
• External Hard drive: Western Digital My Passport – The best storage device for beginners
• Ergonomic Chair: Flash Furniture High Back Mesh Chair – The best budget-friendly office chair

The Best Gear for Beginners

 

10 Best Tools for Mid-Career Graphic Designers (Mid-Range Gear)

The total for all these tools is approximately $8,000.

• Laptop: Apple MacBook Pro 16″ – The best Apple laptop for mid-level graphic designers
• and/or Desktop Computer: Dell Inspiron 27 7000 – The best all-in-one PC for graphic design
• Monitor: Acer Predator X34 – The best ultra wide monitor for designers
• Tablet: Wacom Cintiq 16 – The best pen display tablet for designers
• Mouse: Apple Magic Mouse 2 – The best mouse for Apple aficionados
• Printer: Epson Expression Photo XP-8500 – The best mid-range compact printer
• Camera: Sony A7 III – The best mirrorless camera for creatives
• External Hard drive: Samsung Portable SSD T7 Touch – The best storage device for traveling designers
• Ergonomic Chair: Steelcase Silq – The best office chair for long days

The Best Gear for Mid-Career Designers

 

10 Best Tools for Professional Graphic Designers (High-End Gear)

The total for these professional graphic designer tools is approximately $15,000.

• Laptop: Apple MacBook Air or Macbook Pro – The best overall laptop 
• and/or Desktop Computer: Microsoft Surface Studio 2 – The best Windows PC for graphic design
• Monitor: Dell UltraSharp UP3218K – The best 8K monitor for graphic design
• Tablet: Wacom MobileStudio Pro 13 – The best computer/tablet combo for graphic design
• Mouse: Logitech MX Master 3 – The best mouse for graphic design
• Printer: Canon PIXMA Pro-100 – The best professional wide-format printer
• Camera: Nikon D850 – The best DSLR camera for creative professionals
• External Hard drive: G-Technology G-RAID external hard drive – The best external hard drive for graphic designers
• Ergonomic Chair: Herman Miller Aeron – The best office chair for graphic designers

The Best Gear for Design Professionals

 

The Best Graphic Design Tools for All Levels

• Notebook: Moleskine Classic (See best notebooks) or Amazon Basics Notebook
• Pens: Copic Multiliners (See best pens)
• Creative Software: Adobe Creative Cloud (Get 40-65% off here or a free 7-day trial)

Extra Design Gear Worth Considering

• Color Guide: Pantone Swatch Book
• Monitor Calibrator: X-Rite ColorMunki Smile
• Dry Erase Board: VIZ-PRO Magnetic Dry Erase Board
• Smart Phone – iPhone 12 Pro Max
• Noise-canceling Earphones: Sony WH-1000XM4 
• Standing Desk: FlexiSpot Standing Desk 

If you’re interested in the full detailed list, please keep reading.

 

The Best Gear for Graphic Designers in 2024

While we all wish that we could be at a point in our careers where the clients keep coming, the money keeps coming and life is good, on Day 1, the reality is, we all start somewhere. Everyone has their journey to success and the right tools can help you move down the career path and closer to that end goal.

With our focus on the three different points in your career, recommending a high-priced tablet when you’re just starting your career might not be the best idea. Honestly, if you’re just starting your career and can afford the best gear out there, go for it. It can only help you progress faster.

As Paul Arden, creative director at Saatchi & Saatchi put it:

“If you get stuck, draw with a different pen. Change your tools; it may free your thinking.”

Let’s get started!

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The Best Graphic Design Tools for Beginners

Congratulations! If you’re at this point, maybe you just made a career change or just graduated from college. Even if you had an internship with an agency during school, you may need some tools to perfect your skills and attract new clients or even a spot at your dream job. If you’re in this part of your career, here are the recommendations that we’d make to put you on the path to success:

Microsoft Surface Go 2 laptop

Best 2-in-1 Budget Laptop for beginners

CPU: Intel Pentium Gold 4425Y | Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 615 | RAM: 4GB – 8GB | Screen: 10.5” PixelSense Display with touchscreen | Storage: 64GB – 128GB SSD

The second release in Microsoft’s Surface Go line, the tablet PC received some upgrades over its past iteration and is one of the best Windows tablets available. A great alternative to laptops and tablets, the Go 2 has a better battery life, bigger screen, and better performance. A great 2-in-1 laptop that can help anybody just starting their career hit the ground running.

 

Latest Price on Amazon:

 

HP Pavilion 590

The best budget-friendly PC for graphic design

CPU: 4-8 cores AMD Ryzen 3 / 5 / 7, 4-6 cores Intel Core i3 / i7 | Graphics: Intel UHD / AMD Vega Pro / Radeon RX550 / Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050Ti / 1060 | RAM: 8GB – 16GB | Storage: 128-256GB SSD, 16GB Intel Optane, 1-2TB HDD

With a choice of either an Intel or AMD processor, the Pavillion 590 from HP is an incredible combination of value and performance for a graphic designer starting their career. Pack it with a choice of graphics cards including the GeForce GTX 1050Ti/1060 from Nvidia and you’ll have a solid and dependable PC without busting your budget.

 

Latest Price on Amazon:

 

Alienware 25

 

The best budget-friendly monitor for graphic design

Screen size: 24.5-inch | Aspect ratio: 16:9 | Resolution: 1,920 x 1,080 | Weight: 11.7kg

While having a powerful PC like the one we mentioned above is great, you also are going to need a monitor to display all of your graphical creations. For our money, we love the monitor from Alienware as an entry-level option. Sure, it’s designed for gamers but with a refresh rate of 120Hz and with support for FreeSync, your computers’ GPU can relax a bit. All this tech at a great price for new graphic designers cements it on our list.

 

Latest Price on Amazon:

 

XP-Pen Artist 15.6 pen display

The best affordable pen display tablet

Active drawing area: 13.54 x 7.62in | Resolution: 1,920 x 1,080 | Pen pressure sensitivity: 8,192 levels | Connections: USB-C | OS: Windows or macOS

Packaged with a comfortable stylus that provides plenty of pressure sensitivity, the Artist pen display from XP-Pen features a bright 15.6-inch display and can help you take your designs to new levels. When you are at the start of your career, finding a pen display that offers great performance at an affordable price is paramount. The Artist pen display from XP-Pen checks both boxes.

 

Latest Price on Amazon:

 

Logitech M330 Silent Plus

The best mouse for peace and quiet

DPI: 1,000 | Interface: 2.4GHz wireless | Buttons: 3 | Ergonomic: Right-handed

The buttons on a mouse, even your favorite mouse, make noise when you click them and if you’re somewhere where silence is golden, the constant clicks can be slightly annoying, to say the least. The M330 from Logitech solves that problem with its silent design. With its small size, it’s easy to take with you and with a great price to match, you might never buy another mouse.

 

Latest Price on Amazon:

 

HP Envy 5055 Printer

The best printer for freelancers or entrepreneurs

Category: 3-in-1 colour inkjet printer | Print speed: 15ppm | Paper sizes:up to A4 | Paper capacity: 100 | Weight: 5.4 kg

When you first start your graphic design journey, you may not realize just how important a printer is until you need one. While there may be better options out there, depending on your needs, our money goes to the Envy 5055 from HP. An all-in-one printer, it takes advantage of HP’s Instant Ink program to help manage the costs of ink replacement. With an app for both iOS and Android and a great price, start making room for your new favorite printer.

 

Latest Price on Amazon:

 

Olympus Tough TG-6

The best camera that can take a beating

Type: Compact | Sensor: 1/2.3-inch | Resolution: 12MP | Lens: 25-100mm f/2-4.9 | Viewfinder: N/A | Monitor: 3.0-inch screen, 1,040,000 dots | Maximum continuous shooting speed: 20fps | Movies: 4K |

Choosing an affordable camera might make you feel like you’re going to miss out on some vital features but this isn’t the case with the Tough TG-6 from Olympus. Not only is the camera water, crush, and drop-proof, it can also capture 4k video at 30 fps or in FullHD at 120 fps. Available in red or black, the TG-6 can handle anything you can throw at it.

 

Latest Price on Amazon:

 

Western Digital My Passport

The best storage device for beginners

When you start working, you can go through a lot of proposals and designs trying to get your first client. Even if you don’t succeed, you don’t want to throw away all of that hard work and the My Passport external hard drive is a great way to save your work securely. With storage capacities up to 5TB and usable with both PCs and Macs, it’s a great option.

 

Latest Price on Amazon:

 

Flash Furniture High Back Mesh Chair

The best budget-friendly office chair

While we’re all for standing desks, sometimes you just want to sit down and work and when you do, you want to sit comfortably. The High Back Mesh Chair from Flash Furniture is the perfect option. At a great price, the adjustable headrest helps support your neck. Overall, this chair is missing only one thing to make it perfect – adjustable armrests but as a first office chair, its a perfect choice

Latest Price on Amazon:

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The Best Graphic Design Tools for Mid-Career Graphic Designers

So you’ve been out on your own for a few years now, built yourself a nice reputation in the industry, and have some quality repeat clients. Maybe you’ve been nominated for an award or two. But what gear will help give you that push from All-Star to Superstar? Here are the choices we’d make to take the next step forward.

Apple MacBook Pro 16″

The best Apple laptop for mid-level graphic designers

CPU: 9th-generation Intel Core i7 – i9 | Graphics: AMD Radeon Pro 5300M – Radeon Pro 5500M | RAM: 16GB – 64GB | Screen: 16-inch Retina display with True Tone | Storage: 512GB – 8TB SSD

With a thin, light design, the 16-inch MacBook Pro from Apple gives you plenty of screen space to create incredible works of art. With its beautiful Retina display with True Tone technology, everything you put on the screen will look amazing. Whether you’re a content creator, graphic designer, or something in-between, the MacBook will give you a great piece of hardware for years to come.

 

Latest Price on Amazon:

 

Dell Inspiron 27 7000

The best all-in-one PC for graphic design

CPU: Intel Core i5-i7 / AMD Ryzen | Graphics: AMD Radeon 580 8GB / Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 4TB | RAM: 8GB – 32GB | Screen: 27-inch 3840×2160 IPS display | Storage: 1TB HDD; 256GB SSD

While many might expect us to put the latest Apple offering in this spot, the Inspiron from Dell takes this spot on our list. An excellent all-in-one computer that provides designers a beautiful Infinity Edge 4K display that makes colors pop every time you turn it on. With the upgrade options that Dell is known for, you can easily make this computer a beast that will keep performing long into your career.

 

Latest Price on Amazon:

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Acer Predator X34

The best ultrawide monitor for designers

Screen size: 34-inch | Aspect ratio: 21:9 | Resolution: 3440 x 1440 | Weight: 9.9kg

They say that seeing is believing and with the Predator X34 from Acer, you can certainly believe what you’re seeing. With a 21:9 aspect ratio, the monitor gives you enough real estate to handle multiple tasks and supports G-sync technology from Nvidia, meaning that you can give that graphics card some rest. Beyond its incredible performance, the overall design makes it stand out on any desk.

 

Latest Price on Amazon:

 

Wacom Cintiq 16

The best pen display tablet for designers

Active drawing area: 16.6 x 11.2in | Pen pressure sensitivity: 8,192 levels | Connections: Micro USB, Bluetooth | OS: Windows or macOS

At this point in your career, while you may have used a drawing tablet, you haven’t used one like the Cintiq 16 from Wacom. While the price may keep some from considering the tablet, the stylus it comes with, the Pro Pen 2, makes it an absolute steal. With 8,192 levels of pressure sensitivity, a gorgeous display, and an affordable price, few tablets can match the quality of the Cintiq 16 from Wacom.

 

Latest Price on Amazon:

Apple Magic Mouse 2

The best mouse for Apple aficionados

DPI: 1300 | Interface: Bluetooth | Buttons: 0 | Ergonomic: Ambidextrous

If you use a MacBook or iMac, there are a lot of options when it comes to finding a mouse. However, none of them compare to Apple’s proprietary mouse, the Magic Mouse 2. Controlled by the gestures you make with your fingers, it might confuse some but once you are comfortable with it, you not only have a great mouse but a trackpad all rolled into one.

 

Latest Price on Amazon:

 

Epson Expression Photo XP-8500

The best mid-range compact printer

Category: 4-in-1 color inkjet printer | Print speed: 9.5ppm | Paper sizes: up to A4 | Paper capacity: 100 | Weight: 6.7kg

While it’s described as a compact printer, the results you can get from the XP-8500 by Canon are anything but. With a rare paper feed, you can get incredible results in no time. Its use of 6-color CLARIA Photo HD ink can give your prints a smooth feel, along with deep blacks and images with higher contrast. All in all, the XP-8500 is a great mid-range printer for any designer.

 

Latest Price on Amazon:

 

Sony A7 III

The best mirrorless camera for creatives

Sensor size: Full-frame | Resolution: 24.2MP | Viewfinder: 2,359K dots | Monitor: 3.0-inch tilt-angle touchscreen, 921K dots | Autofocus: 693-point AF | Maximum continuous shooting rate: 10fps | Movies: 4K at 30p

In an already crowded market, the A7 III from Sony stands out thanks to the overall design and performance that it offers. With a 693 point hybrid AF system and a burst mode of 10 fps, the camera also includes two extra SD card slots. While the camera is by no means budget-friendly, those who do splurge a little will get a great camera with excellent value and performance.

 

Latest Price on Amazon:

 

Samsung Portable SSD T7 Touch

The best storage device for traveling designers

Capacity: 2TB | Interface: USB 3.0

Traveling can be stressful. Between crowds, security and so much more, the last thing you want to worry about is lugging a massive hard drive in your laptop bag. The T7 from Samsung is a great, compact option that also provides a great level of security with a built-in fingerprint reader. With a capacity of up to 2TB, the SSD from Samsung is a great way to protect your files no matter where you go.

 

Latest Price on Amazon:

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The Best Graphic Design Tools for Graphic Design Professionals

You’ve made it. The top of the mountain. Clients can’t wait to work with you. You’re a name among names in the industry. But where do you go from here? At this point, focusing more on having the right tech to stay on top of your games is more important than where you go next. Tech at this point should be helping you get better, not worse. This is what we would choose:

Apple MacBook Air

The best overall laptop of 2024

CPU: Apple M1 | Graphics: Integrated 7-core /8-core GPU | RAM: 8GB – 16GB | Screen: 13.3-inch (diagonal) 2,560 x 1,600 LED-backlit display with IPS technology | Storage: 256GB – 2TB SSD | Dimensions: 11.97 x 8.36 x 0.63 inches

If you work in any kind of creative field, the MacBook Air is the laptop you need for a great 2024. With its incredible ARM-based M1 chip, the Air provides you with not only a great-looking laptop but one that will consistently outperform its competition. While it might be on the higher end of many designer’s budgets, we’ll simply say this about the MacBook Air from Apple – there’s a reason why it was our best overall laptop of 2024.

 

Latest Price on Amazon:

 

Microsoft Surface

The best Windows PC for graphic design

CPU: Intel Core i7-7820HQ | Graphics: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 6GB -GTX 1070 8GB | RAM: 16GB – 32GB | Storage: 1TB – 2TB SSD

While the iMac has generally been a designer’s go-to for a desktop computer, the Surface Studio from Microsoft should give many people a reason to look elsewhere. With a 28-inch display that no only makes everything look incredible but gives you something the iMac won’t – a touchscreen. While the processor and graphic card that the Studio comes with isn’t the newest tech available, the all-in-one design and touchscreen make this a perfect choice.

 

Latest Price on Amazon:

 

Dell UltraSharp UP3218K

The best 8K monitor for graphic design

Screen size: 32-inch | Aspect ratio: 16:9 | Resolution: 7,680 x 4,320 | Brightness: 400 cd/m2 | Response time: 6ms | Viewing angle: N/A | Contrast ratio: 1,300:1 | Color support: sRGB 100% | Weight: 8.5kg

While 8K is still in its infancy, there are many people, designers included that love being on the cusp of the newest technology and the UP3218K from Dell is at the forefront of the 8K revolution. With an impressive build quality and the best color reproduction in the business, everything from photos to video will look it’s absolute best. Is there a lot of 8K content? No. Is the UP3218K cheap? No. It is, however, the best monitor for graphic design and way ahead of the curve.

 

Latest Price on Amazon:

 

Wacom MobileStudio Pro 13

The best computer/tablet combo for graphic design

Active drawing area: 11.6 x 6.5in | Resolution: 2,560 x 1,440 | Pen pressure sensitivity: 8,192 levels | Connections: 3 x USB-C, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi | OS: Windows 10 | Requires: Windows or macOS (with optional Wacom Link)

When graphic designers use a tablet to work on designs, generally they need to plug into a desktop or laptop computer and use the OS that is running. With the MobileStudio Pro 13 from Wacom, this isn’t the case. Loaded with Windows 10, a 512 GB SSD, and an Intel Core i7 processor, you have all the makings of a laptop without the keyboard.

Complete with the technology that Wacom already uses with the Cintiq line of tablets, the MobileStudio Pro 13 is expensive but will cut the cord that far too many tablet users are stuck with.

 

Latest Price on Amazon:

 

Logitech MX Master 3 Mouse

The best mouse for graphic design (and Jacob Cass)

DPI: 4,000 | Interface: Bluetooth and 2.4GHz wireless | Buttons: 7 | Ergonomic: Right-handed

The first of two products used by our very own Jacob Cass, the MX Master 3 from Logitech is a graphic designer’s dream mouse. With its ergonomic build, thumbwheel, and programmable buttons, your hand may never have to come off of it. While it’s not the cheapest mouse, the quality, features, and performance make it a must-buy.

 

Latest Price on Amazon:

 

Canon PIXMA Pro-100

The best professional wide-format printer

Category: color inkjet printer | Print speed: 1.2 ppm | Paper sizes: up to Super A3/B | Paper capacity: 150 | Weight: 9.52kg

With 5 dye-based color inks to help you print vivid and colorful prints, the PIXMA Pro-100 from Canon comes with 3 dedicated inks for grayscale to produce the deepest blacks possible. With incredible results at 4800 x 2400 DPI and up to 13” x 19” in size for incredible detail, the PIXMA Pro-100 is one of the best A3 printers available and also the best printer for art prints.

 

Latest Price on Amazon:

 

Nikon D850

The best DSLR camera for creative professionals

Type: DSLR | Sensor size: Full-frame CMOS | Resolution: 45.4MP | Lens: Nikon F mount | Viewfinder: Optical | Screen type: 3.2-inch tilting touchscreen, 2,359,000 dots | Maximum continuous shooting speed: 7fps | Movies: 4K

While mirrorless cameras have become the top dog to many creatives, the D850 from Nikon shows that there is still some bark in the DSLR line. If you’re looking to take high-resolution photos as well as record 4K videos, the camera’s 45MP resolution will suit you just fine. Where the camera truly sets itself apart from the competition is in its battery life. At 1800 frames per charge, you’ll be able to go all day without worry.

 

Latest Price on Amazon:

 

G-Technology G-RAID external hard drive

The best external hard drive for graphic designers

On our last best gear article, we recommended another G-Technology hard drive after being impressed with its specs. Digging a little deeper, we found an even better option. With transfer rates up to 480MB/s, the G-RAID device comes with both Thunderbolt 2 and USB 3.0 connectivity, giving you the option to use it with your Mac or PC. The biggest draw here is its capacity. At 20TB, you can store hundreds of thousands of photos, videos, and documents, giving you a place to securely store your work.

 

Latest Price on Amazon:

 

Herman Miller Aeron

The best office chair for graphic designers

With its pleasing design and support, for the second year in a row, choosing the best chair for professional graphic designers was not hard at all. We just had to check Jacob’s office. The Aeron by Herman Miller has been used by Jacob for more than a decade. The Aeron is available in three sizes so that just about anyone can find a comfortable fit. While it is pricey, if you ask Jacob, he’ll tell you it’s worth it.

 

Latest Price on Amazon:

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The Essentials For All Levels

No matter where you are in your career, regardless of the creative industry that you work in, every role has those tools that when you start they should hand you in a welcome package. We call these The Essentials For All Levels. If you look over our list and aren’t interested in anything that you see, you should make special considerations for the items below.

Moleskine Classic

If you’ve ever been to an office supply store, you have some idea what these very popular notebooks are. To many, Moleskine Notebooks are the Apple of notebooks, signified by the quality time and materials that go into each notebook.

With a variety of styles, including colored notebooks, smart notebooks, Moleskine offers notebooks that will satisfy just about any creative professional and can easily be a go-to choice for years to come. For those on a tight budget, the Amazon Basics Notebook is a good second choice.

 

Copic Multiliner Pens

In the movie, The Wolf of Wall Street, the main character asks people at a conference to “sell me this pen.” While for many, this can be seen as just a way to sell someone, to us, it shows the importance of a good pen. If you’re an illustrator in any way, you cannot go wrong with the Multiliner Pen Set from Copic. A quality pen in every respect, will create crisp lines and hold well on paper.

Comfort can be a big issue for creatives with the tools they use, and many have stated that the Multiliner, which is available in different thicknesses, is comfortable to use and isn’t scratchy. For the price and the ability to refill the pen, the Multiliner pen is essential everyone should have.

 

Adobe Creative Cloud

All of the talent in the world is an amazing thing to have. When you start a career, however, having the right software so you can take your ideas and make them digital reality requires a piece of software that can help you from start to finish.

The Adobe Creative Cloud is without a doubt, the most essential piece of software you should own if you work in a creative field. With so many different platforms from Photoshop, Lightroom, and Illustrator, you have all the tools you would need. Adobe offers a subscription service broken down into individual, business, and other options. If you’re serious about working in a creative field, you need this immediately.

 

Extra Gear worth Considering

Even when we go through our notebooks and to-buy lists, every once in a while, a product blows us away so much that it has to be part of our lives. These are the products that we felt we worth their spot on our list. They may be honorable mentions, but each one can be an MVP for your career.

• Color Guide: Pantone Swatch Book
• Monitor Calibrator: X-Rite ColorMunki Smile
• Dry Erase Board: VIZ-PRO Magnetic Dry Erase Board
• Smart Phone – iPhone 16 
• Noise-canceling Earphones: Sony WH-1000XM4 
• Standing Desk: FlexiSpot Standing Desk 

Pantone Swatch Book

Pantone is one of the biggest names in colors and their Pantone Matching System is the without a doubt, the most widely used spot-color printing system used. Pantone offers a wide array of different books, color fans, chips, and other guides that can help you not only choose the best color for your project but also help you ensure that the color you’re using pops off the page, screen, or whatever you’re using it on.

 

X-Rite ColorMunki Smile

While it may not be the most expensive monitor calibration option out there, it makes our list for the ease of use that it has right out of the box. In three simple steps, you can have a monitor perfectly calibrated to your needs. Making it even easier, the Smile plugs directly into your computer’s USB port.

The ColorMunki Smile provides you with before and after results that many other calibrators already do but this is where the affordable price makes it stand out not breaking your budget and offering so much substance.

 

VIZ-PRO Magnetic Dry Erase Board

The right whiteboard should feel like an extension of your thoughts. You should be able to jot or sketch ideas with ease or fear of them fading off or being hard to clean once you’re done. That’s why we like the Magnetic Dry Erase Board from VIZ-PRO. The smooth surface makes writing on it super easy and comes with a sturdy frame which is helpful if you want to move it around in your office.

With a hanging kit that gives you the option to place it horizontally or vertically, the board also comes with a detachable marker tray to help keep your markers in one place and not lost all over the room.

 

iPhone 16

The Best Smartphone For Creatives Overall

Rear camera: 12MP + 12MP + 12MP | Front camera: 12MP | OS: iOS 14 | Screen Size: 6.7-inch | Resolution: 1284 x 2778 | CPU: A14 Bionic | RAM: 6GB | Storage: 128GB/256GB/512GB | Battery: 3,687mAh 

It would be impossible to write about the top smartphones of the year without mentioning the iPhone. Apple’s constant presence in the smartphone market each year, it would be a disservice to ignore their offerings. That said, their flagship iPhone 16 Pro takes the cake for the most premium device for any creative today.

From designers to marketing professionals, this is one competent piece of technology, able to make you shine in whatever you do! 

 

Latest Price on Amazon:

 

Sony WH-1000XM4

The King of the Hill

Acoustic design: Closed | Weight: 8.95 oz | Cable length: 3.94 ft | Frequency response: 4Hz to 40kHz | Drivers: 1.57-inch | Driver type: Dome-type | Sensitivity: 104.5 dB | Impedance: 47 ohm | Battery life: 30 hours | Wireless range: 30 meters (98ft) | NFC: Yes

The 1000XM3 wireless headphones from Sony have long been the best choice of noise-canceling headphones available until now. The 1000XM4, Sony’s newest release takes everything great about their previous model and added to it. Aesthetically, they look extremely similar but under the hood is where Sony has added some new bells and whistles. With multipoint pairing, DSEE Extreme upscaling, conversational awareness, plus an auto-play/pause feature using a sensor built into the headphones, they are the new best noise-canceling headphones on the block. The only downside? They aren’t water-resistant.

 

Latest Price on Amazon:

 

Ergonomic Desk: FlexiSpot Standing Desk 

FlexiSpot’s desktop workstation provides an easy way to transition between sitting and standing throughout the workday. This particular standing desk offers a deep work surface, a wide keyboard, and instant tablet integration. These quality workstations offer smooth up/down motion, twelve height adjustment settings, and ergonomic monitor mount compatibility.

 

Choosing the Best Design Gear for You

The right gear for where you are in your career can depend on many different things. It can be the price or anything else entirely. As always, you want to use the gear that you feel will help you provide quality work every time.

Is there a piece of gear you recommend? Something not on our list that should be? Let us know in the comments below!

 

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