Tools Designers Can’t Live Without: Citro Design Team’s Favorite Resources
Visuals have never been easier to make with the growing tools and resources that are constantly being introduced in the design industry. The wide range of software options available helps any type of creative produce authentic work. At Citro, our design team crafts with industry-standard systems and uniquely skilled tools for providing successful projects for clients. Do you want to know more about our favorite resources? We’ve interviewed Citro’s designers to find out. Let’s talk about it!
1. Favorite Design Tool
Every designer has software that they love to explore. Sketch, Adobe InDesign character formatting, and Adobe After Effects are the tools that Ben, Juliann, and Julia like to work with. These are all very different tools for unique services. Sketch is a platform used for UI and UX design for web and apps. Font usage is important across all types of media, and InDesign is a great tool for character styles. Juliann shared, “How you use a font in a design really sets it apart.” After Effects is a motion design software for animation and video creation.
2. What system do you use every day?
The device we use is vital for design creation. The design team loves using the industry standard Mac OS system. Apple Mac computers allow us to run the platforms we work in, like the Adobe Creative Suite. Julia said, “I use Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign every day. They are essential to my tasks and can go hand-in-hand.”
3. Is there a resource that makes your work easier?
Software, platforms, and resources are always updating and evolving for future needs and to make the work we do easier and more accessible. Web browsers in general are always helpful for saving searched information and reusing them as tools. Ben answered with Google Chrome for the ability to search for resources, information, and design inspiration. The Adobe Creative Suite has routine updates, and new tools are always added to their products. Juliann and Julia mentioned tools in Photoshop, such as the healing tool and generative fill, that make editing faster and easier.
4. What was the most difficult system for you to learn?
Accessing design tools is easy, but taking the time to learn them is a commitment. Our designers shared different answers for the difficult systems they learned. Website design can sometimes seem like magic, and using Modular Scale to perfect layouts can make it seem even more so. But this mathematical formula is no magic wand. Ben shared that Modular Scale was difficult to learn since it is a “system for equidistant scaling for creating a harmonious design based on arithmetic.”
Change can have its positives, but continuously adding new tools within Adobe products can create difficulties. “Photoshop is always difficult. There are so many different ways to learn the same thing, and it’s constantly updating,” said Juliann.
5. What do you use the least?
All three of Citro’s designers agreed they use Microsoft products the least in their careers. Julia and Juliann discussed that Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel are standard systems to learn, but are not their preferred applications to work in. Designers are always learning a new skill or product, but as we find our passions in the industry, we’ll specialize in what we love to work in. Becoming an expert in specific systems means that some learned skills will be used less. Ben shared that he uses Adobe InDesign the least. “It was a skill I’ve worked at for a couple of years, and then just based on our team evolving and me understanding how we prototype things, I ended up using it the least.”
6. Is there a new tool, device, skill, or resource you’d love to learn about?
Learning is the key to exploring our passions and creating unique client projects. “I’m fascinated by Facebook and Instagram filters. I think it would be fun to explore Meta Spark AR,” said Julia. The design industry also includes motion graphics, so we can move our static images into eye-catching videos. Juliann shared that she would love to learn animation. Industry-standard tools are always great to add to your skills, which is why Ben would like to learn more about Figma.
Overall, the different skills designers can attain are ever-growing and evolving. It’s important to collaborate with creatives who are specialized in your specific needs. From branding, ads, visuals, and print, unique designs speak to audiences. Contact us to get the best design solutions for your brand.
1. Favorite Design Tool
Every designer has software that they love to explore. Sketch, Adobe InDesign character formatting, and Adobe After Effects are the tools that Ben, Juliann, and Julia like to work with. These are all very different tools for unique services. Sketch is a platform used for UI and UX design for web and apps. Font usage is important across all types of media, and InDesign is a great tool for character styles. Juliann shared, “How you use a font in a design really sets it apart.” After Effects is a motion design software for animation and video creation.
2. What system do you use every day?
The device we use is vital for design creation. The design team loves using the industry standard Mac OS system. Apple Mac computers allow us to run the platforms we work in, like the Adobe Creative Suite. Julia said, “I use Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign every day. They are essential to my tasks and can go hand-in-hand.”
3. Is there a resource that makes your work easier?
Software, platforms, and resources are always updating and evolving for future needs and to make the work we do easier and more accessible. Web browsers in general are always helpful for saving searched information and reusing them as tools. Ben answered with Google Chrome for the ability to search for resources, information, and design inspiration. The Adobe Creative Suite has routine updates, and new tools are always added to their products. Juliann and Julia mentioned tools in Photoshop, such as the healing tool and generative fill, that make editing faster and easier.
4. What was the most difficult system for you to learn?
Accessing design tools is easy, but taking the time to learn them is a commitment. Our designers shared different answers for the difficult systems they learned. Website design can sometimes seem like magic, and using Modular Scale to perfect layouts can make it seem even more so. But this mathematical formula is no magic wand. Ben shared that Modular Scale was difficult to learn since it is a “system for equidistant scaling for creating a harmonious design based on arithmetic.”
Change can have its positives, but continuously adding new tools within Adobe products can create difficulties. “Photoshop is always difficult. There are so many different ways to learn the same thing, and it’s constantly updating,” said Juliann.
5. What do you use the least?
All three of Citro’s designers agreed they use Microsoft products the least in their careers. Julia and Juliann discussed that Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel are standard systems to learn, but are not their preferred applications to work in. Designers are always learning a new skill or product, but as we find our passions in the industry, we’ll specialize in what we love to work in. Becoming an expert in specific systems means that some learned skills will be used less. Ben shared that he uses Adobe InDesign the least. “It was a skill I’ve worked at for a couple of years, and then just based on our team evolving and me understanding how we prototype things, I ended up using it the least.”
6. Is there a new tool, device, skill, or resource you’d love to learn about?
Learning is the key to exploring our passions and creating unique client projects. “I’m fascinated by Facebook and Instagram filters. I think it would be fun to explore Meta Spark AR,” said Julia. The design industry also includes motion graphics, so we can move our static images into eye-catching videos. Juliann shared that she would love to learn animation. Industry-standard tools are always great to add to your skills, which is why Ben would like to learn more about Figma.
Overall, the different skills designers can attain are ever-growing and evolving. It’s important to collaborate with creatives who are specialized in your specific needs. From branding, ads, visuals, and print, unique designs speak to audiences. Contact us to get the best design solutions for your brand.