For those who are interested in graphic design but do not have a budget to buy a Adobe’s design suite(roughly about 800-2000 dollars depending on what you are getting) there are some open source and even free cross platforms software programs that can get your feet into the door. In some cases the open source programs are more innovative. Here is my list of Four Key tools I have used in the past to do everything from build websites to design a newspaper publication.

1. GNU Image Manipulation Program (GIMP)
Having Photoshop almost always seems like a must but GIMP, a freely distributed program for such tasks as photo retouching, image composition and image authoring, works as an excellent substitute. It has many capabilities. It can be used as a simple paint program, an expert quality photo retouching program, an online batch processing system, a mass production image renderer, an image format converter, etc. GIMP is expandable and extensible. It is designed to be augmented with plug-ins and extensions to do just about anything. The advanced scripting interface allows everything from the simplest task to the most complex image manipulation procedures to be easily scripted. GIMP is written and developed under X11 on UNIX platforms. But basically the same code also runs on MS Windows and Mac OS X. Best part is GIMP can open up Photoshop file formats (including psds and pdfs).

2. Inkscape for Custom Logos
Many people who get a logo image designed find themselves without a scalable image. This creates a real problem for people who need a logo to serve many purposes such as printing, video and website design. Inkscape is an Open Source vector graphics editor, with capabilities similar to Illustrator, CorelDraw, or Xara X, using the W3C standard Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) file format. Inkscape supports many advanced SVG features (markers, clones, alpha blending, etc.) and great care is taken in designing a streamlined interface. It is very easy to edit nodes, perform complex path operations, trace bitmaps and much more. Basically you can import just about any image even one you draw or take a picture of and Inkscape can clean it up and then you can create an svg or eps graphic, which is scalable so you can use your logo image in multiple sizes for better printing resolution.

3. Scribus  for Creating Newsletters and Flyers
You can spend a ton of time trying to design something like a flyer or a banner in Microsoft Office and it never turns out the exact way you want it. Scribus is an Open Source program that brings professional page layout to Linux/UNIX, Mac OS X, OS/2 Warp 4/eComStation and Windows desktops with a combination of press-ready output and new approaches to page design. Underneath a modern and user-friendly interface, Scribus supports professional publishing features, such as color separations, CMYK and Spot Color support, ICC color management or versatile PDF creation. This program is excellent for simple designs or even more complicated things such as a newspaper or banner.

4. Open Clipart for Base Images
Many times I find that clients want to spend the least amount of money on a logo or web design. Creating custom images is easy but time consuming even for the swiftest graphic designer. I have saved hours and clients money by using this database. This project aims to create an archive of clip art that can be used for free for any use. I have not only used many images from this library but I also have authored some. There are thousands upon thousands of images you can easily use to inspire or as base images. It is also fun if you create something unique to upload it and share it with others.