10 best graphic design tools for June

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We have a cracking selection of new tools for graphic designers in this month’s round up. From the new iPad Pro to a wildly discounted collection of world-class fonts, vintage Smart PSDs and all the best new books and design bundles, you’ll find all sorts of goodies here to speed up your workflow and boost your skills.

And don’t forget, it’s graduate show season. That means D&AD New Blood is back, and with it another bumper crop of talented creatives ready to set the world alight with their ideas – you’ll find details below. 

Read on for June’s 10 best graphic design tools…

01. iPad Pro

Apple brings the iPad Pro closer to the MacBook replacement you need

Out now, Apple’s new iPad Pros boast brighter and more colourful screens that respond faster to both touch and the Apple Pencil, so if you’re looking to create on the move, they’re worth a look. Replacing the 9.7-inch iPad Pro is a new 10.5-inch model, which benefits from a 20 per cent larger screen – meaning it can accommodate a full-size digital keyboard. And the 12.9-inch version has received an update, too.

See also:

• Apple unveils new iMac Pro for design professionals
• What if Apple made a Surface Book?

02. SST typeface

The SST font has variations for Thai, Arabic, Japanese and other alphabets

Monotype has released a new sans serif font, SST. Originally designed for Sony, the typeface lies somewhere between Frutiger and Helvetica in design. It can support nearly 100 languages and numerous consumer touchpoints, and aims to strike “a careful balance between style requirements and cultural sensitivities”. Available in six different weights and italics, it’s ultra-legible.

03. The Ink Fanatic's Bundle: PSD Kit

Currently on sale for $49 instead of $79, so get in quick!

Need to quickly add some vintage ink effects to your designs? RetroSupply is running a sale on a massive bundle of seven of its best-selling Smart PSD ink packs. Effects include halftones, ink rollers, screenprints, letterpress, matchbook effects and 70s ink effects – and each pack comes with bonus brushes and textures.

04. D&AD New Blood

Plan your visit to spot some new talent

Ok, the D&AD New Blood Festival is in July, but now’s a good time to put it in your diary. From 5-6 July, once again London’s Old Truman Brewery will be hosting work from this year’s best and brightest design, advertising, illustration and animation graduates. Bringing industry and new creative talent face-to-face, this is the place to be if you’re looking for new gradates, collaborators or if you simply want to get a glimpse of tomorrow’s creative superstars. 

Plus, we’ll be reporting from graduate shows the length and breadth of the UK, so keep an eye on the site throughout the summer.

05. The Inspiring, Creative Vector Collection

Thousands of vectors are on offer, with a huge range of styles

Expiring on 3 July, The Inspiring, Creative Vector Collection brings you a huge collection of world-class vectors licensed to use in commercial work for $29. The full price of the bundle is $2,503 so it’s a bit of a bargain. Head over to Design Cuts for a full run down of all the fonts in the bundle. If you miss out on this deal, click on 'Current Bundle' at Designcuts.com to see if the current deal is of interest to you.

06. Bittersweet: Noma Bar (Limited Edition)

Noma Bar's illustrations have featured in Empire, the New York Times, Wired, the Guardian, Time Out and more

Illustrator and master of negative space Noma Bar has released a dazzling collection of some of his favourite illustration in this limited, slipcased edition, which became available on Amazon this month. Packed with creative inspiration, it’s perfect for the studio bookshelf – and comes with a print, too.

07. The Photocopy Hate Machine

Priced at $29, the Photoshop bundle is packed with gritty textures scanned at 1200 DPI

Inspired by 90s alternative rock flyers, half-dead high school photocopy machines and the possibilities of cheap, mass duplication, the Photocopy Hate Machine Photoshop bundle is packed with gritty high-res textures, texture brushes and a smart PSD for instant results.

08. Fur, Hair and Grass Brushes

These $10 brushes emulate the textures of fur, hair and grass

For $10 you’ll get 52 realistic, high-res, 3D rendered fur, hair and grass brushes for Photoshop in this pack from Instanbul-based Mehmet Sensoy. It contains two abr files: brushes below 2500px are for CS2-CS5 users, while brushes up to 5000px are for CS6-CS2017 users.

09. Stencil Type: Steven Heller and Louise Fili

Pick up the cheaper paperback version of popular 2015 title, Stencil Type

The paperback version of Steven Heller and Louise Fili’s 2015 hardback title, Stencil Type, is officially on sale from 6 July this year – but available now on Amazon. A follow-up to cult typography volumes Scripts and Shadow Type, this 352-page title presents hundreds of examples of stencils from the 19th to the 20th centuries. It’s a rich resource for any designer looking for type inspiration.

10. Watercolor ink Photoshop brushes

These brushes were made from scanning real watercolour brush strokes

After some realistic-looking watercolour Photoshop brushes? Try this set of 30 stamp brushes from MiksKS. Ranging between 387px and 1799px, the brushes were handmade and create a transparency effect when layered.

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