Tools of the trade

[Koiyuki]

Everybody works best in different work environs, ranging from the packed & chaotic, to the spacious and relaxed, and we all have different tools we use, to craft our creations, so I'd like to know what kind of work spaces do the people here have, and what tools are at hand, to put your graphic designs into motion?

For me, I'm about 15 feet away from both the kitchen and bathroom, so I'm set, in that aspect. And when do have everything on hand, Photoshop CS2, Firefox, and Stepmania are usually the first 3 programs I have open.(creating the piece, researching the techniques, and seeing what the final product looks like, in it's destination.)  

[miigiro]

Well, I sit in a desk about 4 feet wide, with little room for putting books on, except for the little sliding thingy mabober (not sure what it's called). I use a Dell computer, with Hewlett Packard printer and scanner. I use Macromedia Fireworks or Macromedia Flash (mostly fireworks). That's my tools of trade.  

[Aruri_Kasutsuro]

XD i like things spacious and roomy. at school the studio is pretty decent with everyone having their own work stations ^^

been working with a lot of programs including:
photoshop cs
illustrator cs
indesign cs
corel painter ix

have experience with quark (but indesign is better XP), and just starting to learn flash and dreamweaver XD

.........  

[Chisa]

I like to work on a big desk so I can spread around all my junk xd I also like to decorate the wall above my screen with inspirational or just plain interesting print work that I collect around the place (mostly advertisements for concerts, postcards, festival fliers... those always seem the most colourful) so I can look up at them whenever I feel uninspired.

Gotta have a computer with a decent amount of RAM for big print work in Photoshop, and a decently sized and calibrated monitor 3nodding I wish I had enough for a Pantone Spyder to properly calibrate my monitor's colours, but they're so expensive sweatdrop

For software its Photoshop and Illustrator for design work, Notepad++, Firefox, IE6, IE7 and sometimes Flash for web work. iTunes for music and Thunderbird for email.

I also like being in an environment where I can just swivel around and ask my workmates what they think or just mess around xd  

[miigiro]

Chisa

I like to work on a big desk so I can spread around all my junk xd I also like to decorate the wall above my screen with inspirational or just plain interesting print work that I collect around the place (mostly advertisements for concerts, postcards, festival fliers... those always seem the most colourful) so I can look up at them whenever I feel uninspired.

Gotta have a computer with a decent amount of RAM for big print work in Photoshop, and a decently sized and calibrated monitor 3nodding I wish I had enough for a Pantone Spyder to properly calibrate my monitor's colours, but they're so expensive sweatdrop

For software its Photoshop and Illustrator for design work, Notepad++, Firefox, IE6, IE7 and sometimes Flash for web work. iTunes for music and Thunderbird for email.

I also like being in an environment where I can just swivel around and ask my workmates what they think or just mess around xd

You're so lucky! I wish I had my own work space. Unfortunately, I live my my husband's family, so it's a family computer with barely any desk space at all. Otherwise, once I get a place of my own, I will definitely get my own computer, my own desk, design my own area, and make it an inspirational place to be.  

[mofoker]

Quote:

I wish I had enough for a Pantone Spyder to properly calibrate my monitor's colours, but they're so expensive

Hah, yes that tool sure is expensive and easy to lose grip from too. I nearly droped and shattered the thing and could have been so fired.

At work I take over the artroom on my own so technically I AM the art departent. Inside is 3 machines, the best one being a Mac G5 PowerPC and the others are a G4 and a decent Dell PC.

I use the CS2 pack but I consider Quark and Illustrator as my weapons of choice because I feel I have the best control with those two over postscript options when going from the computer to the press.

I'll stop now because im going to get far too technical.

Raff