Buyers Guide

Table of Contents

• What is Graphic Design Software?
• Benefits of Graphic Design Software
• Typical features of Graphic Design Software
• Cost of Graphic Design Software
• Considerations when purchasing Graphic Design Software

What is Graphic Design Software?

Graphic design software is used to create and edit two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) images such as diagrams, illustrations, vector graphics, and other graphic content. The tool offers thousands of pre-designed templates for you to select and start editing to match your brand voice.

A graphic designer or marketing professional who requires graphic designing can use the design software to create presentations, landing pages, websites, digital and print advertisements, photo editing, and much more.

The tool helps create attractive images that grab the attention of the target audience toward the intended message. This graphic design tool helps businesses increase user engagement in digital advertising campaigns, website traffic, or audience participation during presentations and training.

Benefits of Graphic Design Software

• Bring clarity to designs: With graphic designing software, you can create and edit your designs with precision. The tool allows the graphic designer to zoom in to pick out even minor errors in a design, which otherwise may not have been overlooked. Detailed design analysis helps better communicate your message to the audience, eliminating the chances of incorrect interpretation of the idea.
• Access multiple design features: Graphic design software offers a variety of design features such as magnifier, eraser, brush tools, cut, crop, or paint. You can drag and drop the tools from the tool panel to the desired location on the image or a blank canvas. These tools help transform your ideas into attractive designs.
• Share designs with stakeholders: With graphic design software, a graphic designer can create and share designs with stakeholders for approval. The tool offers multiple ways to do so. You can directly share access to the designs from the user dashboard. Another option is to download the design in the desired format (JPEG, PNG, etc.) and share it on other communication platforms used by the business.
• Set role-based access to designs: The tool allows you to set role-based access for stakeholders to prevent any uninformed graphic designing changes. The access includes options such as read-only, edit, or ownership.
• Measure campaign performance: Some graphic design tools also allow you to track the campaigns with the created designs and monitor performance. The tool has built-in analytics features that help create customized performance reports to review and optimize future campaigns and boost engagement.

Typical features of Graphic Design Software

• CAD (computer aided design) tools: Use elements such as line, triangle, circle, rectangle, polyline, trim, extend, copy, mirror, rotate, erase, offset, scale, filet, and explode. Create 2D and 3D designs for electrical equipment, architectural buildings, mechanical equipment, and much more.
• Design templates: Select from pre-designed templates for presentations, landing pages, social media posts, and other formats. Edit the template based on design elements such as font color and text, or a background image that matches your brand style.
• Image editing: Edit architectural designs, social media post images, landing pages, web pages, vector graphics, and more. Modify the shape and size, or add your preferred font color, size, and style. Scan on-paper designs and import them into the design tool for photo editing.
• Collaboration tools: Share your designs directly from the tool’s dashboard with role-based access (read-only, edit, owner, etc.). Download the design in PDF or image format and share via third-party chatting platforms used by the business.
• Content import and export: Scan and import on-paper designs and photographs for image editing using the graphic design tool. Download created designs in different formats to share in chat or email on other platforms. Integrate tools with collaboration platforms to enable direct sharing.
• Content library: Get access to the cloud storage to manage designs. Search for specific designs using the naming conventions. Save time from importing or scanning images and designs for use.

Cost of Graphic Software

Most products in the market are priced on a “per month” basis and can be divided into three pricing tiers based on their starting price.

Price ranges*:

• $19 - $66
• $66 - $499
• $499+

*The pricing included is for the entry-level/lowest-priced offerings found on vendor websites as of September 22, 2022. These ranges correspond to the 25th, 75th, and 100th percentiles of pricing information gathered from vendor websites of sample products.

The above list includes pricing for the base plans of most products. An enterprise or premium product that is priced higher may include additional features such as CAD tools, image editing, content library, and collaboration.

Considerations when purchasing graphic design software

• Determine your design needs: Depending on your projects, certain designs may require minor features such as photo and template editing or more advanced features such as 360-degree visualization or vector graphics. This makes it essential for you to assess the type of designs your business requires before selecting a graphic design software.
• Assess the integration feature: Integrating graphic design software with collaboration tools lets you directly share the image link in chat without having to download it. You can also integrate graphic design software with virtual reality (VR) or virtual tour software to better present your designs to clients. Check if your selected graphic design software allows integration and if yes, then determine which platforms.
• Check if the pre-designed templates are editable: Some graphic design software allows you to edit the pre-designed templates with the design element that matches your brand. However, this feature can be limited to certain types of software subscription plans. Check the template editing feature with your selected graphic design tool and opt for the right subscription plan.
• Opt for a design tool compatible with your operating system: Graphic design tools are mostly compatible with both Mac and Windows versions. However, there are software providers that cater to either of the two versions. Check the compatibility of your selected software and opt for one that is compatible with both Mac and Windows to align with future scalability.