Every freelancer will tell you that creating great designs is all about working with quality resources. Because we know how important tools are for boosting designers’ creativity, today, we’ve prepared a special collection of geeky gadgets to help you build the best designer workstation you can possibly imagine.
Selected from a broad range of categories, including electronics, books, and even home decor, this cool list of items is definitely in every designer’s wish list for any season. Let’s jump right in and discover some of the best graphic design tools and gadgets you can buy online.
The Designer’s Wish List: The Top 9 Gadgets To Create a Better Work Environment
The Website Stencil Kit
Looking for a cool graphic design tool under $30? The Website Stencil Kit, found on UI Stencils, provides a simple and convenient way for wireframing web elements without the need for precise sketching. This stainless steel stencil comes equipped with the most commonly used user interface elements and social media icons. Together with the product, you’ll get an amazing zebra mechanical pencil and a downloadable PDF template to make your designing experience a true pleasure.
Coffee Is My Ctrl+Alt+Del Mug
Imagine taking a sip of your favorite whipped cream coffee from a mug with your favorite function: Ctrl+Alt+Del. Just like this three-finger salute, you need your coffee in order to reboot and recharge your mind and body. It’s the perfect cup to accompany you while you’re busy working at your workstation.
Laser Projection Virtual Keyboard
Project your own virtual keyboard on any surface you wish and amaze your clients with this awesome laser keyboard. Connect it to your laptop or smart device and type along. This nifty gadget, sold by AGS Design, can project a red-tinted, virtual keyboard on any surface. It uses revolutionary technology and connects using Bluetooth wireless technology. It can be the designer’s best friend in busy situations when no keyboard is available and it’s a great way to impress your buddies.
Document Scanner Wand
Scanning ideas and materials on the go is now a breeze thanks to this incredible Wi-Fi Scanner Wand. Make electronic copies within seconds with this revolutionary one-touch scanner by MUNBYN. This pocket-size scanning device can create high-resolution images with up to 1050 dpi. It’s a cordless scanning tool that can connect to any device on your home or office Wi-Fi network and can easily export files in both JPEG and PDF format.
Wacom Intuos Pro Pen and Touch
Replace your old mouse and turn your laptop into a digital drawing canvas. Wacom’s tablet comes with many cool additions and can turn any low-budget designer workstation into a high-end art hub. This awesome product comes with a great set of design software. It offers 2048 levels of pen pressure sensitivity in both pen tip and eraser. Mix different colors and textures on a unique digital canvas in a way that no other program could. Connect your Wacom tablet to Mac or Windows and easily fit this compact device in a limited desktop area.
The Creative Workshop
Source: changeorder at Flickr / https://www.flickr.com/photos/29623457@N02/5176568986
Challenge your creativity with this book by David Sherwin. Expand your imagination and stimulate your designer skills with a broad set of quirky tasks. The Creative Workshop is a guide to creativity beyond the limitations of time. It promises to teach you the ins and outs of creating a successful design, despite being squeezed within the borders of a short time frame. The graphic design exercises include compelling projects from various designers and implement engaging stories, which aim at pushing readers’ creativity to its limits.
Pantone Swatch Book
Being able to distinguish the right colors for each element of a project is immensely important for graphic designers. These two guides can help you narrow down and figure out exactly which shade you’re looking for. It features more than two thousand spot colors and works perfectly for designers who work with print.
SpyderX Pro Monitor Calibration
Color precision is extremely essential when working with graphic design. This monitor calibration device helps calibrate your monitor so it shows you the best color payoff possible. It also works with multiple monitors and features automatic profile changing as well as room-light monitoring. With this tool, you get a more precise screen color and better white balance.
Lenovo Yoga Book
The Lenovo Yoga Book is a thin, lightweight Android tablet that contains a 64GB SSD hard drive and a 4GB LP DDR3 of RAM. You can use this device for any project you have and it can run for 15 hours with just one full charge. With its Real Pen stylus, you get to draw using this tablet and create digital designs on the go.
First published in November 2015; updated August 2021
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