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Tools that I use

Hardware and Software - updated
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Chris Gardiner
22nd - Apr, 2022
13th - Dec, 2023
Photo by Jannis Brandt on Unsplash

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!

get in touch

I am located in the northern part of the island of Saint Lucia, Caribbean

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