Graphic design software needn't all be about Adobe & Quark. Shareware & open source tools have their place.

Shareware and open source graphic design software

Graphic designers are used to using commercial graphics, design and illustration software applications from the likes of Adobe and Quark. Students often learn to use these tools at university and go on to rely on them later on in employment.

At the other end of the spectrum are the home use products, shareware and open source downloads that many designers see as amatuerish or simply lacking in features.

But, in recent years, many more open source products have come to market and here we list a few of them and review some features.

For the sake of disclosure, it is only fair to say that we have not tested any of these applications under production conditions, and we do not make any recommednations about their reliability for use on commercial projects. We strongly advise that these applications are thoroughly tested to ensure that they meet your requirements, before even considering using any them for real 'live' creative jobs.

Please also note that we are not being very specific about the terms open source and shareware. Indeed, there are many conditions upon which manufacturers release software. In essence, we are listing graphics software programs that are generally cheaper and perhaps less complicated to use, but that may be useful for graphic designers who cannot afford, or prefer not to use, the mainstream graphics applications. Click on the relevent links for a more specific definition of open source or definition of shareware.

Graphic design with Linux?

Of course there may be another reason to consider open source software – and that is when running computers with one of the Linux operating systems, which currently don't run the commercial design programs from Adobe and Quark (which require Windows PCs or Macintosh computers). Linux-based computers are not usually found in professional creative departments, unless they are being used as web servers perhaps. But for those of a creative mind who do use Linux, some of the following programs may be useful.

Open source and shareware software tools:

Photo-editing | DTP Layout | Vector Drawing | 3D design & animation

November 2008