Graphic Design: Software

•Varies depending on the tasks required such as:

–writing and publishing

–designing

•Includes:

–Microsoft® Word

–Microsoft® Publisher

Apple Pages

•Is a word processing program

•Is used for:

–creating text documents

–developing research papers

–proofing spelling and grammar

–generating essays

•Pros:

–can check documents for grammar and spelling mistakes

–has a variety of text format styles

–organizes text with headers, footers, page numbers and page breaks

•Cons:

–only used for text concentrated documents

–no custom page sizes

–little design options

•Is a software program used for publishing pieces with layouts

•Is used for:

–fliers

–brochures

–newsletters

•Pros:

–allows custom page sizes

–provides various layout and design options

•Cons:

–lacks graphic design tools

•Includes:

–Adobe® Photoshop®

–Adobe® InDesign®

–Adobe® Illustrator®

–GIMP

•Is a vector-based design software allowing users to create graphics which are not compressed into pixels allowing for images to be scalable

•Is used for:

–custom lines, shapes and designs

–logos

–graphics

•Pros:

–use of vector images, which can be scaled without losing quality

–large variety of graphic design tools

•Cons:

–can be expensive

–steep learning curve

–limited photo editing

–does not color blend as well as Adobe® Photoshop®