In the rapidly evolving world of design, lack of access to high-end computers or sophisticated software should not hinder your passion for creating breathtaking visuals. Thanks to the convenience of modern smartphones, graphic design is no longer confined to desktops or laptops.
This comprehensive guide aims to show you how your pocket-friendly device could be your gateway to the exciting realm of mobile graphic design.
How to Do Graphic Design on Phone: A Journey into Mobile Visual Arts
In our interconnected world, artistic passions need not be confined by the absence of high-end technology or software. Some individuals may prematurely resign from their aspirations in design due to these constraints. As the adage goes, however, “where there’s a will, there’s a way.” The ubiquity of smartphones now allows anyone with a creative spark to venture into the realm of mobile visual arts.
In fact, the creation of remarkable graphic designs is entirely feasible using smartphones alone, as numerous applications have expanded their functionalities significantly. Companies renowned in the world of design, such as Adobe, have developed a suite of mobile applications to enable individuals to jump-start their design careers sans a traditional computer.
A notable feature of these applications is their ability to synchronize with other devices, offering the flexibility to transfer your projects onto a PC in the future, if desired.
The Ideal Smartphone for Mobile Graphic Design
While a high-end tablet like the iPad Pro could be a great asset for mobile design, it isn’t an absolute necessity for beginners. The type of smartphone you need doesn’t have to break the bank, but that doesn’t imply that any phone will suffice.
If your phone operates on a significantly outdated system, it may restrict the availability and performance of certain design apps. In the past, these applications lacked the advanced features present in contemporary versions, making the creation of high-quality graphics a daunting task.
As a recommendation, an Android smartphone running version 6 or above should suffice, with newer iPhone models being an excellent alternative. Numerous design apps function efficiently even on older smartphones, like the Huawei Honor 7x, which I’ve personally tested.
Top-Rated Free Apps for Mobile Graphic Design
The following free mobile applications are highly recommended for budding graphic designers, available for download on Android and iOS devices:
- Adobe Capture;
- Adobe Lightroom;
- Photoshop Fix;
- Adobe Comp;
- Illustrator Draw;
- Canva;
- Adobe Spark.
Adobe dominates the list, reflecting the company’s commitment to facilitating mobile graphic design.
Getting Started with Your Mobile Graphic Design Setup
This guide assumes you’re primarily utilizing Adobe applications on an Android smartphone, although the setup process remains similar for iOS devices.
To commence, simply open your chosen app and select ‘sign-up’ to create an Adobe Creative Cloud account. This crucial step allows you to save all your projects and data. The account also enables synchronization across different Adobe apps for a seamless design experience.
In addition to the account setup, a stylus is recommended to facilitate a more intuitive design process. Options like the Apple Pencil or the MEKO Universal Stylus are excellent choices.
Unleashing the Power of Adobe Capture for Graphic Design
As one of the most versatile tools for graphic designers, Adobe Capture holds immense potential. This tool empowers you to harness the camera of your smartphone, capture stunning visuals, and utilize its artificial intelligence capabilities to identify fonts, colors, and styles embedded in the image.
For instance, let’s consider a photograph of a sunset. Once you upload this image into Adobe Capture, select ‘Colors’. The application detects and generates a color palette based on the hues in the photograph. If the palette does not precisely align with your requirements, the app allows easy drag-and-drop adjustments to customize the color selections.
Once satisfied with your color palette, clicking ‘save’ will store these colors in your Adobe Library. This palette can then be leveraged across various projects, ensuring a consistent and aesthetically pleasing color scheme.
Mastering Retouching and Photo Manipulation on Your Mobile
Retouching and photo manipulation are integral to the field of graphic design, with Photoshop being the go-to software for such tasks. However, when designing on mobile, access to full-scale Photoshop might not be available. Thankfully, Adobe offers a range of smaller apps dedicated to mobile editing:
- Adobe Lightroom: Ideal for basic image editing, crop adjustments, and a vast selection of presets, filters, and styles. Its user-friendly sliders make it effortless to add or minimize the effect of a filter or edit. Lightroom’s intuitive interface caters to all skill levels, from novice to professional;
- Adobe Photoshop Express: Excellent for crafting collages and infusing your designs with extra flair. This app enables text addition, filter application, and the creation of stickers for your designs;
- Adobe Photoshop Fix: This app specializes in the removal of unwanted elements from your design, akin to the healing tool in Photoshop. Its content-aware feature ensures your design remains intact during the editing process;
- Adobe Photoshop Mix: This app allows the extraction and combination of elements within a single project, similar to the selection, cropping, and dragging functions in Photoshop.
Venturing into Mobile Illustration
Illustration can pose a significant challenge when transitioning to mobile design. Even the most skilled designer can find it daunting to illustrate on a smartphone. To overcome this hurdle, Adobe Illustrator Draw is an excellent mobile app to consider.
Adobe Illustrator Draw incorporates vector brushes reminiscent of those in Adobe Illustrator, available in a variety of shapes and sizes. While it allows the creation of custom brush presets, its flexibility is slightly limited.
A standout feature of Illustrator Draw is its layered structure, enabling the creation of separate artwork on different layers. This functionality simplifies the drawing process from sketching to filling.
Contrary to popular belief, high-quality illustrations are entirely feasible on mobile devices. Take a look at these projects on Behance created using Adobe Illustrator Draw for some inspiration.
Crafting Aesthetically Pleasing Layouts with Adobe Comp
With your graphics, color palettes, fonts, and images at hand, the next step is to bring them together into a captivating composition. Adobe Comp, an application designed for arranging various design elements, offers the perfect platform to achieve this.
Abbreviated from ‘composition,’ Adobe Comp provides a canvas for organizing your design components across one or more pages, facilitating the creation of a comprehensive layout for your final piece. It’s worth noting that Adobe Comp employs gestures for placing elements on the screen, making it less intuitive than other applications and potentially requiring a familiarization period.
To illustrate, drawing a line and adding a dot will create a text box, while an ‘X’ drawn with your finger will add an image. While buttons are available for these actions, familiarizing yourself with these gestures can greatly enhance your productivity when using this app.
Final Thoughts: Embracing Mobile Graphic Design
Undeniably, executing graphic design solely on a smartphone using Adobe apps or similar tools is entirely feasible. Nonetheless, certain limitations might surface. The flexibility offered by PC-based, cutting-edge design software might be lacking, and downloading multiple apps could potentially slow down your smartphone, leading to a somewhat cumbersome experience.
Despite these hurdles, many budding designers, undeterred by the lack of advanced devices like the latest Mac or iPad Pro, are embracing mobile graphic design. With these accessible apps at their disposal, they are crafting spectacular projects that are being shared and admired globally, demonstrating the remarkable potential of smartphone-based graphic design.
