Tools that I use
The following is a list of the Tools & Applications I use day to day basis to get the work done for clients.
This may seem like an odd topic but I am often asked this question.
So here we go:
Electronics
Apple Mac - iMac
iMac M1 (24") [now that the new M3 version is out, i want it!!!]
16 GB
1TB HD
This is used for ALL graphic creation, from print, graphics, web and more.
Additional Storage
WD My Pasport 1TB HD
Iomega 1TB Back drive
Samsung T7 1TB Personal HD
I recently nearly had a catastrophic failure with my T7, it simply would not mount onto my machine, after a lot of searching for a solution and trying a number of different things (that did not work), I finally solved the issue - the f**king cable was faulty.
Pro tip. Always have a backup for your backups JUST IN CASE.
Sound
Bose desk speakers
JBL Go3 portable speaker
Apple - iPad
iPad Pro (12.9-inch, first gen.)
My iPad is sometimes used as a second monitor, gaming station, music while working and for testing of course.
Apple - iPhone
iPhone 11, soon to be replaced by a new iPhone 15
Used for communication and testing mobile responsive designs and website as well as mobile apps.
Printer
Black and white laser printer
LaserJet Pro - M102W compact wireless 8.5×11 printer for quickly proofing layouts.
Photography / Camera
- Panasonic LUMIX DMC-FZ1000
- iPhone 11
Software
Graphic Design, Print & Logo Design
I use Affinity Photo, Affinity Designer & Affinity Publisher
Communication & Video Meetings
I use Slack, Zoom, Skype and/or Google Meet
Web
I use Webflow, FIGMA and Airtable. Additional to these I am always testing new applications, check out some to the new kids on the block - resources and tools.
Browsers
Vivaldi, Google Chrome, Edge, Opera & Safari
Vivaldi is my primary browser of choice, for safety, security, utilities and functionality. Edge for Skype.
Fonts
One point to make when using external font sources like Google Fonts, the function requires your site to an external location in order to visually make adjustments within your website, this can take time and affect your websites load time and in turn ranking metrics.
Image Sources
Premium stock photos and vectors
Free stock photos
Pre-made icons
From an SEO stand point, Google has stated that fresh unique imagery is favourable when building a site. Eg. actual images of your location, inside your business or store and images of staff perhaps interacting with customers and the like. From my experience, this is usually easier said than done!
