Top Software for Graphic Design, According to Your Friends at RBM

As designers, I’m sure we all have our opinions on the Adobe Suite, so let’s skip talking about that and get into programs not as widely used. Below are my personal opinions on programs I seem to use daily. There aren’t any that I loathe, as I do use a variation of them a day. But, that’s not to say that some aren’t better than others out there. When it comes to software for graphic design, these are my ratings:

Attention #GraphicDesigners!! 👋 What sites do you use daily? Are you impressed with them or underwhelmed? Check out @RedBranch’s favorites here: Click To Tweet

UXPin: He’s Like a Guy You Know Isn’t Perfect for You, But You Can’t Get Over

I go back and forth with this program. I love it, and I hate it.

It’s easy to add my designs and send a link to the client for their review. It also requires a very short explanation to train new users on the software.

What do I dislike about it? It’s crazy expensive and a pain to add videos to. While making web designs, I often need to include videos. But if I want to show it to a client, I’ll have to export that video as a gif then upload it to UXPin. This seems like a small thing, but for a program that is used daily, little annoyances like that can take up a lot of time.

Our agency has been researching possible replacements for this platform, but we haven’t quite found the right fit. So, this is the guy you know that isn’t perfect for you, but you just can’t get over. If you or your team have found a solution you rave about, do us a solid and shoot us an email at design@redbranchmedia.com! We’re open to suggestions.

Rating: 7/10 

Sketch: She Is Beauty, She Is Grace…She Is Sketch

Last week, I received an email with a subject line referring to switching our Sketch account. My heart immediately dropped, thinking we were losing this program. In reality, we were just moving up accounts…but holy crap that put how much this program means to me into perspective. Obsessed is an understatement. It’s such an easy program to use and translates well from our design team to our web department.

Part of me wants to give this program a 9 out of 10 simply because I feel like the Sketch team would welcome the challenge to make it even better. They always seem to improve the platform, and I can’t speak highly enough about it. 10 out 10 — you’re perfect, darling!

Rating: 10/10 

Capitalizemytitle: If You Don’t Use It, You’re Tacky, and I Hate You

In the nicest way possible, if you don’t have this site bookmarked…you’re tacky and I hate you. Capitalize my Title… pardon, I mean ‘Capitalize My Title’ makes capitalization easy and will use Title Case, AP style, MLA style, etc. to ensure you correctly write titles and headings. Simply type in your heading or title and choose the format you need, and bam—it’s done.

Honestly, unless you’re the bee’s knees at grammar, you are doing clients and yourself an injustice if you don’t utilize this site daily, even just to alleviate your second-guessing! A significant part of being a graphic designer is being consistent with brand typography, so it’s necessary to make sure it’s done correctly.

Rating: 10/10 

In the nicest way possible, if you don’t have this site bookmarked…you’re tacky, and I hate you. 🙃 Read @RedBranch’s latest blog to discover important #graphicdesign sites, tools, and programs: Click To Tweet

RemoveBg: Step up Your Game, We Are All Rooting for You!

I hate that I’m giving one of my lowest ratings to this site, but here we are. Removebg is used as a quick solution to removing backgrounds in Photoshop over similar programs. From my perspective, the program works 7 out of 10 times, so that’s the rating I’m giving it. Even though it sometimes struggles to capture the entire background, I’m still obsessed with this program. When it works, it saves so much time! So, Red Branch partners, if you are reading this, please don’t get rid of this program. I love it in my life. I’m just worried (and hopeful) another similar site will steal the spotlight by nailing it every time.

Rating: 7/10 

Coolors: Honestly, I Would Use This Site in My Spare Time for Fun

So, I am lying because this is not a site I use daily. When I do get the opportunity to use it, I’m pumped. This site is perfect for creating initial branding or company rebranding. You get the opportunity to type in or find one color and generate a color palette. You can lock in the colors you like, and adjust it until you find your ideal brand image.

Rating: 10/10 

So there you have it, those are my daily design programs, tools, and sites rated. Have you used any of these? If so, do you agree with these ratings, or do you think we got it wrong? At Red Branch, we are always looking to improve our processes and be as quick and efficient as possible, so if you have a tool you love, please email our design department!

Oh, and if you are annoyed that we aren’t diving deeper into the Adobe Suite, check out this article on our to get our perspective.