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In the world of graphic design, there’s no shortage of tools, tutorials, or tips—and let’s be honest, it can get a little overwhelming. Whether you’re a newbie dipping your toe in or a pro looking to sharpen your skills, having a go-to list of reliable, creative, and inspiring resources can make all the difference.

So today, I’m sharing my personal toolkit consisting of the design programs I rely on, the books I keep close (or hoard lol), and the online resources that actually teach you something (instead of sending you into a doom scroll spiral). 

This is what I’ve found helpful as a designer at 5BYFIVE, a full-service St. Louis creative agency working across branding, UX, motion graphics, and beyond. I hope this list will help you in your creative journey.

Programs I Actually Use

You don’t need a million apps, you need the right ones. Here’s what’s usually open on my desktop, amongst a bajillion open tabs on my web browser and my Spotify app:

• Photoshop – For photo editing, retouching, and making things look nice and ✨ crispy ✨
• Illustrator – My go-to for vector illustration and logo work
• InDesign – When it’s time to layout a report, magazine, or multipage anything
• Lightroom (optional) – Especially useful if you work with photography or want to elevate your social content

Pro tip: These Adobe programs are industry standards for a reason. Get comfy with them, become friends, take it out for coffee, check in with their latest and greatest updates (haha--get it?), and you’ll be in great shape.

Pro tip 2.0: Learn the keyboard short cuts. You’ll thank me later. *wink wink*

Books to Help You Design

I’m a sucker for a good design book, especially ones that explain the why behind the how. Here are my recs that I currently have in my book collection:

• Graphic Design for Everyone by Cath Caldwell – Great beginner-friendly breakdowns of layout, color, and type
• How to Be a Graphic Designer Without Losing Your Soul by Adrian Shaughnessy – Equal parts pep talk and practical guide
• Making and Breaking the Grid by Timothy Samara – For layout rebels and rule-followers alike
• Thinking with Type by Ellen Lupton – A typography essential
• Grid Systems in Graphic Design by Josef Müller-Brockmann – A classic (and worth the brain sweat)
• Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud – Not just for comic nerds—it’s a visual storytelling masterclass
• Logo Design Workbook by Noreen Morioka & Sean Adams – Full of case studies and exercises
• Don’t Make Me Think by Steve Krug – A must-read for anyone touching web or UX design

Tip: Check Amazon or ThriftBooks for used copies to save some moo-lahs. 

 YouTube Channels I Love (and Learn From)

Sometimes you just need a friendly face explaining how to navigate the scary interface of Adobe’s programs. These are a few channels I turn to:

• Will Paterson – Logo design, Illustrator tips, and quite the British charm
• Paola Kassa – Real-world projects and career talk, like your big sister in graphic design
• Graphic Design with Elena – Beginner-focused and super clear
• Dom Designs – Great for portfolio tips
• Satori Graphics – Clean, fast-paced tutorials
• Learn Free – Solid free playlist for fundamentals

Stock Image Sites (Free & Paid)

Because yes, sometimes you do need that perfect picture for the *aesthetic.*

Free:

• Unsplash
• Pexels•                             
• Pixabay
•  Freepik
• Vecteezy

Paid (but suuuuper powerful):

• Shutterstock
• iStock
• Envato Elements
• Getty Images

Having a mix of sources helps avoid repetition and gives your projects a fresh, professional feel. 

Why It All Matters

Great design doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time to learn and develop the skills. The best designers I know are curious. They read, they explore, they experiment, they stay open to new inspiration, and they add their own pixie dust to their work.

Whether you’re creating a brand, refreshing a website, or just learning to use the pen tool without swearing and going “uuugggghhh come on!”, the right tools make the journey more fun and way more effective.

This list is just the beginning, but it’s where I’d send any friend who’s asking: “What do you recommend?”

Need more than a list? Our team at 5BYFIVE Creative is always exploring what’s next in design, branding, and full-service marketing, and then sharing what we learn.

Want to see how these tools show up in action? Check out our blog on agile marketing or our deep dive into Instagram search indexing, because staying current is part of the job, and part of the fun.

Happy Designing! 

Julliette Huynh

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