The Graphic Designer’s Digital Toolkit Fifth Edition

Book Preface

Welcome to the Graphic Designer’s Digital Toolkit! Here you will learn the essential skills and design techniques to get you comfortable using the newest versions of the premier graphics programs in the industry today: Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign. This book is set up as a challenging hands-on, project-based classroom book with which students will complete useful, real-world projects that a designer would normally create for a client. This book also contains terminology or language used in the graphics today to give the learner an understanding of terms and techniques. It is created for college students who are taking introductory classes in computer graphics applications, digital media, or graphic design or as a supplementary text providing projects for courses in Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign. It can also be used for a half-year course in digital media for college-bound upper classmen at the high school level. All of the chapter assignments and most of the Toolkit Extra exercises can be completed using older versions of the software; most explanations are included for use with the newest version and older versions.

For the professional who may need a refresher course in one or more of the applications, or for the individual looking for an edge in making a career change into the graphics industry, this book can be used as a self-paced study. It also makes a great reference text for professionals already in the fi eld. The business owner who wants to create his or her own logo, business cards, promotional pieces, advertisements, newsletters, brochures, or to adjust and retouch a photograph can also use this book.