10 Graphic Design Products to Uplevel Your Creativity
Posted on May 6, 2025 | Updated on May 6, 2025
Every graphic designer should have a select handful of tools in their professional arsenal. Whether they are an inexperienced freelancer or have been in the industry for years, they would benefit from using these graphic design products.
1. Pantone Color Bridge Guide
The Pantone Color Bridge Guide is one of the best graphic design products by far. It is a portable, hand-held fan deck of over 2,000 CMYK equivalents to Pantone Matching System Spot Colors. It also has nearly 300 bonus sRGB and HTML values.
The 168-gsm coated paper is as beautiful as it is durable. Each strip holds seven rows, totaling 14 colors. Even though it displays the entire CMYK gamut, it’s small enough to carry.
Use this official color reference system to communicate with clients, match a specific hue, or get inspired. The helpful lighting indicator will tell you whether your lighting conditions are suitable for color evaluation.
2. Logitech MX Creative Console
With Logitech’s customizable MX Creative Console, you are always just a few clicks away from whatever application or function you need. For example, if you tap the Adobe Illustrator button, every display key changes to native software features.
The contextual dial changes behavior with every key press. You can change brush size, move through your photo gallery, or change layers. The fluid roller lets you navigate and zoom, streamlining repetitive tasks.
The Logitech MX Creative Console is fully customizable. Use the official app’s drag-and-drop function to assign actions. You can make the plugins and icons work with almost any software, which is great if you prefer free apps like Blender over Adobe’s expensive lineup.
3. 12-inch Transparent Graphic Arts Ruler
This clear plastic ruler from the Westcott Store lets you view the page or screen underneath, helping you identify the size of fonts, lines, computer picas, or computer points. It even has a leading gauge so you can measure the vertical spacing between lines of text.
Since Westcott Store is a well-known office supplies brand, you can feel confident everything is accurate. Whether your work is highly technical or you are a perfectionist when it comes to precision, this large, transparent graphic arts ruler is an excellent addition to your workspace.
4. Logos that Last: How to Create Iconic Visual Branding
This hardcover book is among the graphic design products for beginners. It includes tips for creating logos and case studies that follow successful design processes. This book won the 2023 American Graphic Design Award for Book Design from Graphic Design USA.
The award-winning author Allan Peters wrote Logos that Last for graphic designers. He has poured every one of his more than 20 years of experience into this work, so it is as practical as it is aesthetically pleasing. You can display it on your coffee table when you’re not using it.
5. CMYK and Pastel Color Reference Guide
This color reference guide from Designedsky is much more affordable than Pantone’s Color Bridge Guide, making it ideal for small business owners and freelancers on a budget. Its 50-card display has over 300 CMYK colors.
The company tested the swatches against real-world CMYK printers to ensure each one is as true to life as possible. Also, they all have CMYK and Hex codes for seamless color matching. Premium quality like this is important for securing repeat clients.
6. Logitech Lift Vertical Ergonomic Mouse
Logitech’s ergonomic mouse is at a 57-degree angle that keeps your wrist elevated throughout the day, aligning your forearm and relieving pressure, which is fantastic if you work long hours. It was designed, tested, and approved according to criteria set by leading ergonomists.
The Logitech Lift Vertical Ergonomic Mouse has four customizable buttons that you can map to whatever shortcut you want. You can even change the settings for different apps, maximizing your productivity. That’s why it’s one of the best graphic design products.
You can connect this ergonomic mouse via Bluetooth Low Energy or USB. It works with Windows, macOS, iPadOS, Chrome OS, and Linux. You can connect up to three devices, seamlessly transitioning between your laptop, tablet, and desktop.
7. Palette Perfect: for Graphic Designers and Illustrators
This illustrated paperback book by Sara Caldas covers color combinations, meanings, and cultural references, giving freelancers and professional graphic designers everything they need to know to pick a palette.
Much of this work is filled with projects by world-renowned illustrators and designers, supplying information and guidance. Each color gets a full-page spread. The next page discusses its historical associations and design applications. It lists the CMYK, RGB, and Hex codes.
8. XP-Pen Artist Drawing Glove
Whether you use a tablet, drawing pad, or pen and paper, you need an artist’s drawing glove to prevent smudging and accidental input. You can wear this one from XP-Pen on your left or right hand. It comes in small, medium, and large, ensuring a snug fit.
The highly elastic fabric has excellent permeability, making it breathable and comfortable. It’s a soft, skin-friendly texture, making it comfortable. It will seamlessly glide along whether you draw on paper or a screen.
9. Ergonomic and Foldable Laptop Stand
This ergonomic laptop stand from the Amazon Basics Store is a great graphic design product for any workspace. Whether you use your laptop as a second screen or your drawing tablet takes up too much room on your desk, it can help.
This stand fits laptops from 10 to 17.3 inches, covering popular models like ASUS ROG, MacBook Pro, and Surface Pro — which are the best laptops for graphic design. It can rise up to seven inches, alleviating neck pain and making long workdays more comfortable.
10. XP-Pen Pro Graphics Drawing Tablet
Chances are, you already have a drawing tablet. However, if you want one or need an upgrade, consider the XP-Pen Pro model. Its fully-laminated FHD display almost eliminates parallax, ensuring your designs are accurately proportioned no matter your viewing angle.
This feature is important because it has an adjustable stand with a 60-degree tilt. It also comes with eight shortcut keys — two of which are customizable — and a conveniently located dial. Use them to easily change brush sizes, zoom in, or flip the canvas.
Whether you get the 11.6-inch or 23.8-inch model, the 1080p screen displays a wide 123% sRGB color gamut. This level of detail is great because the battery-free stylus also offers details with its 8,192 pressure levels.
Boost Your Workflow With These Graphic Design Products
You are likely missing at least one of these graphic design products. Even if it won’t completely transform your workflow, you should consider getting it because it will help improve your productivity and comfort.
About The Author
Cooper Adwin is the Assistant Editor of Designerly Magazine. With several years of experience as a social media manager for a design company, Cooper particularly enjoys focusing on social and design news and topics that help brands create a seamless social media presence. Outside of Designerly, you can find Cooper playing D&D with friends or curled up with his cat and a good book.