Top 9 Best Graphic Design Software of 2022

Any graphic designer, as well as an artist, would tell you that the right tools are the key to successful work. And as for graphic designers, it’s not about a canvas and brushes but powerful software and free templates.

Specialists were limited to several programs in the past.For instance, nowadays, remote collaboration tools make the work more accessible and combined. These days, they have more options, and sometimes, it is difficult for designers to choose the best solution as there are so many offers. However, since the working process and the final result depend on the program, they have to spend a lot of time looking for it and even use trial and error.

Reviews

We have prepared for you a list of useful tools and a review of each. The first solutions in our list are from the Adobe Creative Cloud family. We couldn’t possibly not mention them. Besides, we are going to describe other popular software, which will be relevant not only in 2022 but even much longer.

Adobe Photoshop

The graphic design professional, regardless of experience, first needs to understand how this particular tool works. Among the advantages and benefits, we can highlight the following user-friendly interface and the ability to work with 3D graphics. With such a program, you can create cool things if you use it correctly. In addition, Adobe Photoshop fits for photo editing. 

What about the drawbacks? First of all, it concerns the high cost of the premium plan. Moreover, the app has high PC requirements. Expert web designers like Kaushal Prajapati from Pearl Lemon Web have used Adobe Photoshop and found both advantages and disadvantages with using this software.

Kaushal states, “Photoshop is an easy tool to use for designing and photo editing. It offers knowledge guides and helpful tutorials, which helps a lot when you are using the software for the first time. Photoshop also offers 3D options where you can work on 3D objects and design them at the same time. However, one major disadvantage is that photoshop is a pixel-based tool so it’s not ideal when you want to print your designs. It lacks some features that software tools like Illustrator and Corel Draw have.”

Adobe After Effects

The software is actively used for TV and film studios, helping create 3D typography, motion graphics, animation, and various special effects. Adobe After Effects is a program with a number of tools for video editing, developing complex graphic compositions, and creating static 3D images.

The main advantages of this application lie in its easy-to-use and understandable interface. It’s comfortable to work with layers and make quick sketches to show them to your clients. There are also many useful features that help you create realistic movements of objects — keyframe interpolation. 

Adobe XD

Adobe XD generally known as photoshot is one of the best prototyping tools available in the market. Besides assisting in creating layouts and designing, the program allows web designers to share their prototypes. The tool is suitable for web and app development design.

With this software, you can edit elements, create styles, work on vector design, create interactive animated or game prototypes, and more. The program also allows you to jointly work with files and save your projects to the cloud. By the way, Adobe XD is also available as a mobile app.

Adobe InDesign

Unlike the previous tools, this one can only be used for several purposes — to create a banner, a trifold brochure, or a poster, for example. This is actually a drawback of the software since Adobe InDesign is highly specialized. Therefore, the application is mainly suitable for those experts working with printing.

Nonetheless, the software receives a lot of positive feedback. It is praised for allowing specialists to design projects at the touch of a button. It is also easy to work with tables, and files can be saved in any format.

Corel Draw

Designers use this software to edit images, design and create visual content, and also sketch out images and model objects.

The benefits: a wide range of fonts, formats, a tool for designing advertisements, and much more. At the same time, the program can be installed on any OS.

Speaking about disadvantages, it is difficult to convert a bitmap image into a vector one, there is no way to quickly use the effects collection, no tools for business graphics. Despite this, Corel Draw is still a powerful solution for designers, and it is rapidly growing.

Vecteezy

Thanks to this software, designers can draw clipart graphics in the browser. Vecteezy is one of the easiest and most user-friendly vector editors. However, the main advantage lies in the fact that it is completely free, and with its power, you can draw not only simple icons but also great illustrations. You may save the materials in a vector or raster file format.

Another reason why professionals should pay attention to this software is the ability not only to use the platform for free but also to download their works without any watermarks. There is also no limit on the number of downloads here, but it should be mentioned that for registered users, it takes considerably less time to download files. 

PhotoADKing:

PhotoADing is a free graphic design software that allows anyone, with or without experience, to create stunning designs. PhotoADKing provides a wide range of premade flyer templates, posters, brochures, logos, business cards, and much more. It also provides marketing assets through a variety of tools, including an online flyer maker, poster maker, and logo maker.

You may add shapes to your design and choose from over 10,000 templates, thousands of stickers, stock photos, and other typography possibilities. You can create any design in just a few clicks, and save them to share across any media or download to make a print of it.

Colorcinch

A refreshingly easy-to-use tool, Colorcinch offers a vast library of vectors & icons, templated masks, and overlays. You can choose from its collection of stock images or upload a photo from your device to start playing around the platform. The interface is simple and intuitive, you can just drag-and-drop elements and utilize the blend modes, text editor, and freehand drawing tools. You can also make use of its AI-powered special effects and filters, you’ll get stunning results with just a few clicks. 

Colorcinch is for professional designers and newbies. It’s  web-based and it works offline, too. 

Pixlr

If you need tools for basic editing, then this app is for you. It works in a browser, or you can download it as a mobile app. To check its quality, use the free version of the software or the premium trial version.

The strengths of Pixlr include such features as ease of use and a large library of templates. Among other things, the application integrates with social networks, allowing you to upload visual content directly from Pixlr. Specialists can choose different editions to work with the app, depending on their skill level and needs.

Affinity

Sometimes, this application is used as an alternative to Adobe Illustrator, although some of its features are not yet available. Nevertheless, both professionals and beginners use it. The program is best for vector files. For example, it makes it easy to work on promotional materials, websites, icons, and other UI elements.

Affinity’s main features are that it is simple and user-friendly. In fact, this is the reason why beginners choose it. 

Conclusion

The choice of software depends largely on the designer’s experience, needs, and goals. Hence, you need first to think about which software fits your particular style and other criteria best.Therefore, delivery software plays an integral role and needs enough attention. It may be that professional level tools are required, or, on the other hand, simple online design tools might suffice.

Keep in mind that new valuable tools may appear. Therefore, do not neglect the new products and try their functions.