7 Hardware Gadgets Every Graphic Designer Needs

Every profession has its own must-have gadgets.

If you're working in the field of graphic design, you know that certain tools will not only make your job much easier, but they'll also reduce your stress and allow your creativity to flow. Below are seven of those gadgets that have quickly become necessities for graphic designers.

X-Rite i1 Display PRO

Every good graphic designer knows that it's important for what's on the screen to match what's going to go out into the world. Unfortunately, an improperly calibrated monitor can ruin your sense of color and cause major mistakes. This calibration tool allows you to set up specific profiles for your work and to change your monitor settings as required, even taking into account the ambient lighting in your office so that you get true-life color. If you want to prevent color mistakes, this gadget is definitely a must-have device.

Sennheiser CX 5.00G

A good set of earbuds can help you to keep out distractions and focus on your work. If you are working on design products, it's important to have earbuds that not only cut out ambient noise, but that are compatible with virtually any platform on which you work. This set of earbuds from Sennheiser give you the usual sound quality that you'd expect from the company while still being flexible enough to work with everything from your phone to tablet. If you want to learn more about these headphones, make sure to check out the full review here.

My Passport from Western Digital

Given the importance of your data, it makes sense to have a good backup system on-hand. My Passport from Western Digital is one of the best portable back-up hard-drives out there, combining an exceptional amount of storage capacity (up to 4TB) with fairly fast file transfer speed. It's also very easy to cart around, so you'll never feel like you're having to carry too much computer equipment. This may not be a fun gadget, but it's absolutely vital for those who don't want to lose their data.

ANKER USB Hub

Having a place to plug in all of your peripherals - and chargers - is a consistent problem for anyone who works with computers. If you know that you need lots of USB slots, the best choice you can make is to invest in this ANKER USB Hub. This simple device allows you to turn a single USB port into four ports, giving you much more room to plug in your various devices and to charge your phone at the same time. If you're really hurting for room, you can actually use two of these devices at once in order to provide yourself with eight working ports.

iPad Pro

The debate about which tablet is the best is always going to rage, but one thing's for sure - you're going to need an excellent tablet for your work. Apple's iPad Pro is definitely geared towards graphic designers with a high-fidelity screen and plenty of room to work on, and pairing it with the pen peripheral absolutely makes it one of the most useful tablets on the market. Though there are a few other dedicated devices that come close, this tablet beats everything else when it comes to both utility and versatility.

Google Cardboard

If you ever have to work on a project that involves VR, you're going to have to stop and think about what type of equipment investment you want to make. If your projects are for phone-based VR, Google's super-cheap Cardboard set-up is absolutely your best bet. Yes, it's just a bit of cardboard but it gives you the ability to access VR apps without spending more than the average cost of a fast food meal. It's also a great tool for those who are trying to decide if they want to take a more expensive plunge into the world of virtual reality.

SanDisk Wireless Connect Stick

Sometimes you're going to want to cart around your files the old-fashioned way, on a USB stick. While it's always good to have a more substantial backup available, having one of these sticks is a good way to make sure that you can have a copy of your data available to upload to virtually any device. This model makes use of wi-fi connectivity to allow you to send your data even to those devices without USB ports, making it ideal for those who work on portable devices.
If you're looking for the right gadgets, try to think not about what every other designer needs but what would make your job easier. Whether you struggle with moving around data or you just need a better platform on which to work, one of these gadgets will help you. Once you have the right gadgets in hand, you'll be able to become even more proficient at the job you love.