Adobe Photoshop
Of course, when we talk about design, it’s impossible to ignore the software package from Adobe, the undisputed leader in this field. And first of all, we are talking about Photoshop.
Despite the fact that Photoshop was originally created as a photo editor, today it is one of the most popular and functional tools for graphic and web designers. The program provides you with a tremendous range of tools for working with raster and (partially) vector graphics. It allows you to create almost any graphic element – from simple logos to complex website mockups.
In fact, for a long time, web designers have mostly used Photoshop to create website layouts. But if we’re being objective, Photoshop is far from being the ideal tool for such tasks. Web design is a priori very demanding in terms of dimensions, indents, and small details. And to change any of these details in Photoshop, you sometimes have to spend a lot of time and work with the layout almost under a magnifying glass. That’s why the program is no longer used as actively in web design as it was a few years ago.
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe Illustrator is one of the most popular programs for working with vector graphics. It is convenient to create vector illustrations, logos, print layouts, etc.
By the way, vector graphics is an image that consists of anchor points and connecting lines between them. In short, it allows you to scale images to any size without losing quality. That is, you can take a 3×3 cm logo and enlarge it to the size of a football field. All lines, dots, gradients, and elements will remain clear and of high quality.
Adobe Illustrator can be useful for web designers in general, but rather as an auxiliary tool. After all, it is more focused on working with graphic design.
Figma
Figma is an extremely popular online service for developing web interfaces and prototyping with the ability to organize real-time collaboration. That is, several specialists can work on the same project at the same time, and everyone will see the changes made immediately.
Figma was launched in 2012 and has been rapidly gaining an audience since then. First of all, it is web designers. And it’s a really handy tool.
- Easy to learn. Figma’s interface is really simple and intuitive. Even taking into account the lack of Ukrainian localization, it is not difficult to understand the functionality.
- Cloud technologies. All the changes you make to your project are immediately uploaded to the cloud storage and can be accessed from other gadgets.
- Accessibility. You can use the web version of Figma even in a browser. Or download the app for Windows, macOS, and even Android or iOS.
- Plugins. With their help, you can significantly expand the functionality of the program and get even more features.
- Developer mode. Thanks to this mode, for example, a layout designer can immediately get all the necessary information from the layout for further work: fonts, sizes of each element and indents, images, buttons, etc.
- Plus, with Figma, you’ll forget about sending files after each iteration. All you need to do is share the link with the recipient, and they can immediately see the layout at the current stage of development. It’s very convenient and saves a lot of time.
And most importantly, Figma is completely free in the basic version, albeit with certain limitations. But for a beginner designer, this is more than enough. Advanced functionality will cost from $12 per month.
What to choose?
It is difficult to give a definite answer to this question. However, we would recommend trying Figma to start with. There are many web designers who perform almost 100% of their tasks exclusively in this program. On the other hand, you should understand that Figma is not a service for all occasions. Objectively speaking, Photoshop is much more functional and offers almost limitless possibilities for working with graphics. And Illustrator is undoubtedly one of the most powerful tools for working with vector graphics. It has no serious competitors in this segment.
In conclusion, we would like to say that in design, as in any other creative profession, it is not what you use, but how you use it that matters. In the end, only your skill decides how quickly and efficiently you will implement design projects in a particular program or service.
