Digital design tools and software (Adobe Creative Suite, CorelDRAW, Inkscape, GIMP)

Adobe Creative Suite

Adobe’s Creative Suite includes a range of professional-grade design software solutions, such as Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign.
Photoshop is primarily used for editing and manipulating digital images, with features like layers and masks, filters, brushes, colour adjustments, and advanced tools like warp, liquify and clone stamp.
Illustrator is a vector graphics software allowing for the design of logos, graphics, cartoons and fonts, and it excels at tasks requiring high-quality scaling and precision.
InDesign is mainly used for desktop publishing and typesetting, including creating flyers, posters, brochures and digital magazines; it can handle multiple pages and complex layouts with efficiency.

CorelDRAW

CorelDRAW is a vector graphics editor similar to Adobe Illustrator, equipped with robust tools for various design tasks, including logos, layouts, and typography.
Features like PowerTrace can convert bitmaps to vector graphics, a beneficial tool for redesigning logos or redefining low-resolution designs.
The software also includes features for advanced photo editing, web graphics design, and multi-page layout design.

Inkscape

Inkscape is a free and open-source vector graphics editor, making it an accessible tool for scalable design work.
Inkscape’s tools enable one to manipulate objects, paths, and text; like Illustrator, it ideal for tasks like icon design and logo creation.
It also has a powerful tracing tool to convert raster images into vector forms.
It’s a good option for anyone looking for an easy-to-use tool for creating SVG graphics.

GIMP

A free and open-source alternative to Photoshop, GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) is excellent for tasks like photo retouching, image composition, and image authoring.
Its toolset includes painting tools, colour correction, cloning, selection, and enhancement tools.
GIMP can work with several layers and channels, offering the flexibility to create complex designs.
Although it has a steep learning curve, GIMP can handle a wide range of tasks once mastered.

In mastering these tools and software suites, it is important to practice frequently, combining different tools and functions to understand their strengths and limitations. They are essential in modern graphic design, and proficiency in at least one such suite is often a professional requirement.