With three similar graphic design positions under my belt, I can say that each company I’ve worked for has ran in a completely different environment. Each company used their own set of tools and resources to help their workflows, whether that be a waterfall, iterative waterfall, scrum, lean software development, or any other type of workflow.

During this time, I’ve seen constants of what works and what doesn’t, and what tools are still in my rucksack today. I call these tools my “Essential Tools for Today’s Graphic Designer.”

Here are 10 of my personal favorites!

1) MacBook

Historically, Apple has been the brand of choice for graphic design professionals. Many designers actually find themselves turned down for jobs if they prefer using a PC rather than a Mac, but with similar specs. So, where does this history come from?

In the early 1980’s, the Apple Macintosh was the first computer to truly allow for digital typography. In 1988, John and Thomas Knoll built the first version of Photoshop on a Macintosh Computer, because it was essentially the only computer with a color display and the capacity to handle the program they were building.

Now that graphic design (I like to call this “visual communication”) could include graphical user interface (GUI) design (some designers SOLELY master this), why wouldn’t a graphic designer want to stare at the best crafted user interface all day long?

2) iPhone

Having an iPhone goes hand-in-hand with having a MacBook (our #1 essential tool). Apple makes it easy to instantly and effortless transfer work between the devices as well as seamless emailing, texts, calls and much more.

3) A Sketchbook

You may be saying this is obvious, but a lot of fresh designers have troubles sketching on the fly. The most simple form of communication is through pictures. If you haven’t learned this already, time spent per project and timelines are vital in the graphic design career.

Also, I always recommend sketching anything, even mockups, before running to your software of choice. Your first idea is rarely your best, so separating concept from detail with the method of sketching is very helpful. I promise it will save you time.

4) Time-tracking Application

If you haven’t heard “How long do you think that will take you?” yet, you probably haven’t gotten your first design job. This becomes especially vital when working at a company that does client to client work; selling their services for an hourly fee.

Sometimes you may have an amazing illustration idea for the header of your next client’s homepage, but with only 50 hours for the entire project, using 10 of those to make a very detailed rocketship doesn’t make sense. Start tracking your time now with a great time-tracking application to start getting a feel for how long certain tasks take you (I personally like Harvest).

5) Project Management Application

Another tool that goes hand-in-hand with the other (in this case #4: Time-tracker) is having a project manager of your choice. A lot of modern project management tools come with built-in time-trackers, or, the ability to integrate time tracking software. Project management tools are great ways to organize projects - acting as a hub for all project-related messages, milestones, files and more (one of my favorites is Teamwork).

6) Slack / Hipchat

Admit it, we all miss AOL Instant Messenger. Now imagine an actual and (mostly) productive reason to instant message your teammate sitting on the couch in the conference room (does he think he’s better than me or something?).

With custom emojis and loading messages, built in reminders, swatching colors with hex codes and even finding out how your employees are feeling on a daily basis (anonymously!), having Hipchat or Slack is now just a norm of the development and creative industry. #giphy essential design tool :see-no-evil:

7) Adobe Creative Cloud

Photoshop, Illustrator and Indesign have always been the leading software applications graphic designers use to change their design concepts into deliverables. With the Creative Cloud, you can share graphics, color palettes, projects and more through files and libraries; keeping all your assets for your next project all in the same, accessible cloud storage.

And, of course, since Adobe CC is the absolute best monthly subscription, all Adobe products are available for your use, just as long as you keep bringing in the money with your awesome designs.

8) A PANTONE Matching System

The accuracy of color is a major component of design. By now, hopefully, you have realized what you see (in terms of color on your screen) will almost never appear on a printed material identically. Designers simply need a standardized color key, and this is your PANTONE Matching System.

Ever print a business card and that blue was TOTALLY not the blue you chose? You may have blamed the printshop the first time, but you’re too good for that now. Though PANTONE is not your only option for a color standardization system, it’s widely used and the one that most printers understand.

9) Wacom

Yes, the good ‘ol drawing tablet makes my list. I tend to be a more pencil and paper type even after owning a Wacom since I was 12, but there are still plenty of times I bust out my tablet.

Having a constant stream of new projects and tasks leads to a constant stream of new ideas. I can’t illustrate banners or icons the same way from client to client, or even project to project. So, if you wanna go for a more organic feel, bring her back out. And heck, if you don’t mind the difference when doing your initial sketches, it’s a time-saver. You may miss that sweet smell of a burning eraser, though.

10) Spotify

We all need our indie acoustic jams (or maybe you’re one of those EDM / Dance sorts). Whichever it may be, Spotify does not only do the trick, but brings your musical journeys to the next level. Create playlists, share ‘vibes,’ and even discover new tunes with Spotify’s “Discover Weekly,” a weekly playlist of buzzing new sounds with a seemingly fantastic algorithm. Back to my ever most popular playlist, “m3gm3g c0dec0de.”

That’s just a quick look inside a few of the essentials for, at least, this designer. I’ll be sharing part two soon of more essential tools for today’s graphic designer. Until then, what are your favorite tools to help you visually communicate powerfully?