Without a doubt, a web designer needs the right tools to express his vision and work as accurately as possible – just inspiration is not enough.
Since time is of the essence, efficiency also plays a big role in producing a website that not only goes live in time but also meets the standards of the client that it is being created for.
Thankfully, there are a whole range of tools that are available for web designers to choose from so as to help quicken their ability to put out quality work.
So, here are some must-have web design tools for each aspect of web design:
#1: Color
It goes without saying that the colors picked for a website can either contribute to or take away from user experience. So, here are some tools that can easily help you to contribute: Adobe Kuler, Pictaculous, Colorzilla, Dribbble.com as well as Hues.
#2: Typography
Fonts are just as important as any other aspect of creating a website, and some of the tools that provide a large number of fonts to choose from are Google Webfonts, Font Squirrel, Lost Type and Type Cast.
#3: Wireframing
Wireframing is also an important element of web design, and there are a number of tools available for that purpose. Some of these tools are moqups, Mockflow, Google Drawing, Photoshop/ Indesign/Fireworks ($49.99) as well as Balsamiq (from $79).
#4: Layouts & Boilerplates
Almost every web designer understands the value of 960 Grid which has, for all practical purposes, set standards for the web. Other tools that one can use are Bootstrap, Less Framework 4, Skeleton, Foundation by Zurb, Reset CSS and 1140 CSS Grid (requires a donation of $5).
#5: Content Management
While WordPress is the most popular content management platform in the world, other options include Joomla, Drupal, Radiant CMS and Expression Engine (costs $299).