The Internet Must-Haves of Designers

We all live busy lives that often involve working on the go, a variety of travel and times when we need to work externally to the office. This is never more true than if you are a designer, where you are constantly on the go and taking inspiration from everything around you. Gone are the days of carrying notebooks and a pencil case; now the majority of designers take their laptops and tablets with them where ever they go. That means they need to have access to certain software which will require a high speed broadband connection.

Mobile Broadband

Many people rely on their WIFI to get work finished when they are outside of the office or travelling, but as many of us know, these connections aren’t always stable. High speed connections can sometimes be of the uppermost importance especially when using Skype or similar programmes. The answer to internet on the go has to be a high speed mobile broadband USB dongle and if you don’t have one, then you should seriously consider the benefits. You can pay as you go so you know exactly how much you are spending and using. It has become one of the most important necessities in effective design work and client relations.

Skype

Skype is a great tool for all of us to use, whatever your business! In the case of designers this is especially useful when working remotely in a freelance capacity; perfect for pitches, meetings and to contact your employees with updates. It is free to sign up, all you will need is an email address and some personal details, it only takes 5 minutes and you will be ready to go. For video calls you will need a fast internet connection so that you can communicate effectively.

Social Media

Whatever your expertise is, web design, game design or artist, social media will play a big part in your daily life. There are many sites that offer the chance to network and meet other skilled people. The big players, Facebook and Twitter, are great places to start and both require minimum time to set up and use. Twitter, as an example, is the perfect place to start your networking; it’s the instant response that makes this a powerful tool. The main tip is to be as precise as possible in your tweets to make sure your message is clearly understood. Facebook is perfect as a branding tool. Links from Facebook to your portfolio are a quick and easy way to advertise and gain new traffic.

Online Portfolios and Websites

As the internet is so integral to our lives, one thing a designer will need is an area to showcase their work. Many designers are now turning to personal websites that they develop to host their work, define their branding and use as a marketing tool. A great place to start is to use a free website builder. If you have never built one before this will give you quick and easy guide to producing a good quality website. Once you have a website live, you will need to consider the maintenance of the information provided. You may be asked to show your portfolio at meetings with potential clients and you certainly want to make sure it’s working correctly. This will require time and a quality speed broadband, but once it is updated it can be the most useful tool available to you.

Online Storage

Files can be very memory heavy when you’re a designer; EPS, Ai, high resolution photos, videos and all the variations of your designs can eat your local storage. It’s therefore vital that you have an online storage solution in place, to not only share the load, but also to give you access to your files on other computers and devices. Being able to access your files across devices is essential in today’s tech filled world. Couple this with the security in knowing that you have another copy of your files in the cloud as well as stored locally will definitely help you sleep at night.