Design students know that gadgets are necessary to bring their creative ideas to life. Some of their devices are just necessary, like a laptop or tablet. Other pieces are optional but very nice to have if you have additional funds. In this article, we’ll cover the best gadgets for design students and how to save money buying them.
It is not a secret that many students have to live on a budget, so saving even a couple of bucks can be a great opportunity. This sum can come in handy when one needs professional help with their written assignment, for example. Choosing the best paper writer at WritePaper for help is a great idea to have more free time. And the result is going to be top-notch, so why not get a little bit of stress out of one’s life.
Here are the gadgets to invest in as a design student.
Necessary Tech for Designers
These are essentials one will need anyway.
Good laptop
The choice between PC and laptop is pretty obvious for a student. You need to be more flexible and ready to work at any time, so the laptop is much more mobile. In any case, the computer needs to be powerful to work with Photoshop or Adobe CC as well as graphic tablets. So investing in a good machine is worth the money.
One of the most popular options is a iMac Pro, but Dell also has some great models to choose from, as well as Asus.
Tablet
This one is one of the vital gadgets for designers. There are two main ways one can go – buy professional equipment (Wacom) or choose an iPad (good for beginners, it is not tight to a computer, can be used as a tablet, and has good software for drawing and sketching).
Wacom tablets are world-known for their quality and precision. The main drawback is that they work together with a computer, so one cannot walk around and sketch anywhere.
If you have some money, the latest model Intuos Pro Paper Edition is excellent. It allows drawing on paper directly with a special pen while the sketch is automatically transferred to the tablet.
Stylus and glove
A stylus is necessary to work with a tablet. And the best choice is to go with the one designed for your gadget. So when working with Wacom tablets, choose their styluses. And when working with an iPad, go with their tech as well.
An anti-fouling glove prevents smudging and any unnecessary friction when drawing on a tablet.
Monitor
Even if you have a laptop with a decent screen, an additional monitor will be needed. It has to be high-definition with proper widths and resolution. (UHD 3840X160 pixels or QHD resolution). Also, pay attention to how the gadget presents colors.
More Advanced Gadgets
These are the tools that a beginner can go without. Yet they are necessary for professionals that work on custom orders, for example. And they make a designer’s life much easier.
Monitor Calibrator
This is a perfect gadget when it comes to the calibration of a monitor. It helps to make sure that the colors on the screen look exactly as they will on print. The standard color scheme RGB is used. The main point is to make sure that your art looks exactly as you’ve planned it.
Hard Drive
First of all, the laptop’s memory is limited. Secondly, complex digital art takes a lot of memory space. And keeping it on a hard drive is safer. It can be backup storage, a portable solution to take your projects with you, or an option to have more storage.
Transcend offers a great variety of budget-friendly and reliable hard drives to choose from.
Another interesting gadget is Sandisk – a portable storage device with Wi-Fi connectivity. You can transfer files from your phone, PC, or tablet there. It is quite small and has 256GB of storage space.
Palette
This is an advanced device for those who feel like designing with just a mouse is quite difficult. Overall, it is not an ideal option, as the mouse is pretty limited in its functions. Palette allows adjusting the process to your needs and assigns favorite design functions to different buttons, sliders, and dials.
Cube
Do you want to be able to capture any color you see? Cube will help. It is exactly what it does as a color digitizer. It is precise, small, and portable so one can take it with them almost anywhere.
How To Save Money On a Gadget
Now let’s go over money-saving tips when it comes to buying tech, which is known for being pricey.
Always do your research of the market and look into features a device has. The highest price doesn’t mean the highest quality, there are many more budget-friendly tools competing with industry flagman models. Do not go chasing a brand, but functionality.
Choose the right time as prices change during the year. Look for special holiday offers, Black Friday, sales, or best deals. Also, check student discounts and coupons (on RetailMeNot for example).
Sell the old one before buying a new tool. Depending on the state of it and the model, you can get a decent sum of money which will cover a part of a purchase.
Consider give-back policies some producers might have (Apple has it as well as AT&T). Gazelle trades gadgets for Amazon store credits, for example.
Look into refurbished or second-hand devices. Refurbished are the ones that were returned because of some issue that has been resolved by a certified factory. They are often as good as new but go for a lower price. And buying second-hand can also help to save a lot.
Go model lower. If there are no specific features you need in the latest one, just go for the previous model. It is also good but cheaper.
In Summary
Although students need to invest in well-made tech to become excellent designers, there is nothing wrong with being smart about your money. Consider the ways to pay less while still getting the functionality you need. And maybe skip on that extended warranty if you are careful with your devices.
