The Design Tools I Can Live With and Without

Taking Inventory of My Daily Tools

AI-generated image, human-edited.

I recently stumbled across an article about taking inventory of the digital tools we use every day. It got me thinking, “What the **** am I even using these days?” So, I compiled my own list. Fair warning, it’s a bit long, and I’m sure I’ve missed a few things. I purposely left out some items used for very specific work tasks. This isn’t a recommendation list or a review. Just a brain dump of my current setup and some thoughts.

Why bother with this whole thing? Well, it’s easy to get lost in the sea of subscriptions and new apps. This exercise forced me to take a step back and see the big picture. In a couple cases I realized I was paying for two tools that do the same thing. It’s also a chance to ask myself, “Is this still serving me, or is it time for a change?” I guess it’s like decluttering, which I’ve been doing a lot lately.

My Creative Toolkit

• Paper and Pencil: I doodle and sketch. I don’t always have my iPad available but do carry a Sketchbook and Pencil.
• Figma: Used for UI design and most digital content creation. Just starting to use it for presentations.
• Substack and Medium: I believe that the best way to understand something is to learn it and express it.
• Xnapper: My favorite screenshot tool. Quick, easy, and does the job perfectly.
• Screen Studio: When I need to quick screen recording that looks good.
• OBS: I mainly use this for streaming, but it’s a solid tool for recording too.
• Adobe After Effects: For random motion graphics.
• Adobe Premiere: Occasionally, I need to edit longer videos. Eventually I’ll try DaVinci Resolve
• Adobe Illustrator: I don’t use it as much as I used to, but it’s still my go-to when I need to do more heavy-duty vector work than Figma can handle. Figma can probably still handle it so we will see what happens this year.
• Google Docs: Most of my writing happens here.
• Procreate: Digital sketchbook for quick ideas and doodles.
• Adobe Fonts, Google Fonts, MyFonts: I use Adobe Fonts and Google Fonts for most projects, but sometimes I buy a typeface outright from MyFonts.
• Mobbin: Design inspiration and teaching.

AI Assists

• Gemini: Since the paid version comes with my Google subscription, I use it. Gemini 1.5 and 2 seem to be up there with ChatGPT for my use cases. I use it to brainstorm and when I need images of “people”. I find that Imagen 3 does a better job than Midjourney. I am also finding 1.5 Pro with Deep Research useful.
• Claude: Helping me write and debug code.
• Vercel v0 and Cursor: I like experimenting with new AI coding tools, and these have been my latest.
• Midjourney: Just started using it for more stylized and artistic imagery.
• Eleven Labs: Use it for short voice overs and random content on other platforms. Typically when I can’t, or don’t want to, record myself.
• NotebookLM: For more focused things.

Dev Tools

• Kitty: What can I say, it’s a terminal. I like the way it’s configured.
• Neovim: I started writing code in Vim and graduated to Neovim. I tried vim mode in VS Code, but it just wasn’t the same.
• Visual Studio Code: Sometimes I just need it.

Staying Connected and Distracted

• LinkedIn: It can be cringey sometimes, but a necessary evil for staying connected with colleagues and former students. (go head and follow)
• Slack: General communication hub for projects.
• Instagram and Threads: For distraction.

Knowledge Quest

• Readwise Reader: I use it to highlight articles, books, and take notes. I like that it automatically exports my highlights and notes as Google Docs that I can bring into NotebookLM easily.
• YouTube Premium: Worth it for the lack of ads.
• Libby: One of the best resources for free books. Connects to the San Francisco Library’s Digital Collection. The wait for some books can be multiple weeks but worth it. Also, syncs with Kindle so I’m not stuck on my phone or iPad to read.
• Talk To Me In Korean: A web and mobile app I use for language learning.

The Apps That Keep Me Sane (Mostly)

• Todoist: My task manager, keeping me organized and on track. The paid version has some interesting AI features that help rewrite task so they are more actionable.
• Gmail and Google Calendar: My email and calendar since their beginning.
• Outlook: I need this for work email and calendar. I’ve managed to sync Outlook Calendar with Google Calendar, though.
• Google Drive (Docs, Sheets, etc.): Part of my Second Brain. I store most of my files in Drive. I also do most of my writing in Google Docs.
• Notion, Apple Notes, Google Keep: I bounce back and forth between note taking apps at least 2 times a year.
• Hover: Domain registration.
• Webflow: For site hosting. Will move over to Framer next time my payment comes due.
• Partiful: For all the parties I don’t go to (just kidding… mostly).

The Gadgets

• Macbook Pro: I’ve had a 14-inch M1 Macbook Pro for a while now. It still does the job, but I get tempted…
• iPad Pro: Can’t remember the exact model, but I use it as a second screen with Sidecar or sketching in Procreate.
• iPhone 14 Pro: Still a great phone. No need to upgrade yet, though I’m tempted to switch to the “green bubble” now that Messages supports RCS.
• Kindle Paperwhite: My default reading device.
• ASUS ProArt Display (32 inch): A large display that looks good. It was a bit pricey, but I got a good deal.
• Logitech MX Master 3s for Mac: I’m a longtime fan of Logitech mice, and this one is no exception.
• Durgod Mechanical 80% Keyboard: A solid mechanical keyboard (I don’t think the company exists anymore). I swapped out the keycaps for some with Hangul and English characters.
• Fuji X-T3: My DSLR. Used daily as a webcam with an Elgato Cam Link 4K.
• Samson G-Track Pro Microphone: Significantly improved my audio recording game.
• Elgato Cam Link 4K: Lets me use my Fuji as a webcam.
• Elgato Key Lights: My recording/streaming space is dimly lit. They work well overall, but I occasionally have some issues with the Wi-Fi connection.

The Graveyard

• Monotype Subscription: Beautiful selection of typefaces, but I couldn’t justify the yearly cost.
• Blinkist: I found myself reading more reviews and buying the full books anyway.
• Snipd: Too frustrating to listen to a podcast and then try to extract the highlights.
• Opal: I can see why people like it but I don’t need something that complicated. Apples Focus and Screen Time do the job.
• Obsidian: I love the idea of connected note-taking, but I already have so much invested in my other tools that it’s hard to make the switch.
• X: I never really used it much.

Stay Tuned…

• Replit: Looks intriguing.
• Sora and Veo 2: I want to check these out as they become available.
• Suno: If they still exist by the time I get to it. I read recently they are having a lot of copyright issues.
• Lottie Creator and Phase: Lottie animation and micro-interaction creation tools.
• Capcut: Late edition to this list.

So, there you have it, a peek into my toolbox. Do you have anything you think I should be trying out? Comment below and let me know.