Alternative design tools

Exploring alternative ways to design than with pro tools.

Alternative design tools
As a designer, I’m using pro tools like Adobe is as familiar as walking. I’ve used them for sooo long. Like 20 years or something.
Recently though, I’ve been creating learning materials for other creators. Which got me thinking. I can’t advocate everyone paying for pro tools, as that’s not in the spirit of my content, which is about making design more accessible.
Really, I should prove to other creators that you don’t need those expensive tools to create effective designs. So in 2020 I did a test.
Throughout the building and launch of Tiny Design Lessons and Maker Design Tools, I used only Keynote (Apple).
I created book content, marketing graphics and animations. You can see some examples on their websites.
The surprising part is, it didn’t even cause me much trouble or friction. I only had to compromise a little. Sure, it helped that I made my graphics style fairly simple, but the lesson here is that quite a lot is achievable with less than the pro’s use.
Keynote is really just a presentation app like Powerpoint, and it’s surprising what you can create. It’s a very similar experience to Canva.com, so if you don’t work on a Mac, try that instead.
 
Photo by Gradienta on Unsplash
 

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