Tools & Resources
Hey there friend! Are you tired of searching for the best and most efficient tools and softwares to run your business quickly, smoothly, and effectively? Have you spent hours trying different softwares and services, only to have them not live up to the hype? Then you're in luck — the following tools, services, softwares, platforms, and other resources are my own personal favorites that I use and love everyday. Take some time to check them out, and I promise you'll discover some hidden gems for yourself.
Design Software
Big surprise here... I use Adobe's products. I depend on Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign completely for branding, graphics, patterns, etc. The only time I don't use Adobe is when I'm using Figma for bits of web development, wireframing, and quick layouts. I also love how easily Figma and Webflow integrate to make my web design process an absolute breeze.
Web Design
For the majority of my web design services that I offer my clients, I use Webflow. I love that it allows me to build quickly and with minimal custom code input, as well as the ability to design with the client experience in mind so that they too can develop an understanding of how they can manage the site themselves after handoff. For some clients though, Webflow isn't their ideal choice, so I also frequently use Squarespace. I have familiarity with a lot of different web builders & coding, so it just depends on what the client's needs are.
Project Management
For project management I actually use a couple of different softwares/services. My client portal was custom built by myself and that's where every one of my projects is managed. Every client gets a separate portal code so things are private, and then each client gets added into my own Notion hub so I can manage all my clients from one central location. I use Zapier and a couple of other integrations to automate the redundant things, and everything else is overseen by myself. If you're interested in knowing more about my project management setup, stay tuned and check back soon – a detailed overview is in the works!
Finances & Accounting
Are any of my fellow designer friends bad at math or struggle with numbers? No? Just me?
Stock Resources
Big surprise here... I use Adobe's products. I depend on Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign completely for branding, graphics, patterns, etc. The only time I don't use Adobe is when I'm using Figma for bits of web development, wireframing, and quick layouts. I also love how easily Figma and Webflow integrate to make my web design process an absolute breeze.
Font Management
Big surprise here... I use Adobe's products. I depend on Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign completely for branding, graphics, patterns, etc. The only time I don't use Adobe is when I'm using Figma for bits of web development, wireframing, and quick layouts. I also love how easily Figma and Webflow integrate to make my web design process an absolute breeze.
Logo Exports
Big surprise here... I use Adobe's products. I depend on Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign completely for branding, graphics, patterns, etc. The only time I don't use Adobe is when I'm using Figma for bits of web development, wireframing, and quick layouts. I also love how easily Figma and Webflow integrate to make my web design process an absolute breeze.
Color Palette Exports
Big surprise here... I use Adobe's products. I depend on Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign completely for branding, graphics, patterns, etc. The only time I don't use Adobe is when I'm using Figma for bits of web development, wireframing, and quick layouts. I also love how easily Figma and Webflow integrate to make my web design process an absolute breeze.
Electronics
Laptop
2023 14-inch M2 Max MacBook Pro with 64GB RAM and 1TB storage. It runs so multiple applications with such ease, and I never have to worry about my Adobe programs crashing due to lack of RAM. As of this exact moment, I'm running 15 different applications (3 of them are Adobe) and there's no struggle or loud internal fan roaring. *Chef's kiss*
PC
Intel i9 10900K 3.7ghz processor, 32GB RAM, 1TB primary SSD, 3TB secondary mirrored disk, 500MB tertiary SSD, and a Nvidia GeForce RTX 3090 GPU. This was a custom built setup that I acquired and I primarily use it for gaming. Once in a while I'll actually do some design work on it.
Monitor
27" 144hz 4k Acer Predator. Fantastic monitor with a super clean, crisp, and bright display. Love how adjustable she is, but dislike how much desk space she takes up.
iPad
2020 iPad Air 4th Generation with 64GB storage. I also use the 2nd Generation Apple Pencil with it. It's a great "budget-friendly" iPad that I mostly use for drawing, brand doodles, and as an extension of my MacBook screen.
DSLR Camera
Canon EOS Rebel SL1 with a EF-S 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 IS STM lens. I use it when I want high quality photos of things that my old but still functioning iPhone XR can't match.
Printer
HP Envy Inspire 7955e Wireless Color All-in-One Printer. This is only on this list because I have been asked about it a lot, and also as a cautionary tale. To keep it short and sweet, let's just agree to never buy a HP printer again.
Keyboard
Logitech MX Keys S Advanced Full-size Wireless Scissor Keyboard with Backlit keys. I used to always buy the simple, cheap , non-branded keyboards from Amazon until I decided to splurge on this one. It has been worth every penny, and I regret not buying it sooner. It makes all those hours on the computer better somehow.
