When you operate a graphic design firm, you’re always on the lookout for the best tools available that up production, streamline workflow and fulfill client needs in a more efficient manner. Cloud tools can help you do this. Online workshop spaces, easy collaboration tools and project management software are all live on the cloud right now. Here’s a look at the best cloud tools for graphic designers.

Design Tool

While Adobe Creative Cloud is the industry standard, it also costs a pretty penny. However, Affinity Designer is the first high-end creative design app for Mac OS X. It supports files such as PDF, SVA, EPS and more.

Affinity Designer also features cross-platform support with the cloud, pixel preview and layers. It utilizes the best Apple computers can offer in hardware, such as Core Graphics, OpenGL and full retina display images. The real kicker is that it comes at a fraction of the cost of Adobe Creative Cloud, giving you the performance you need at an affordable price.

Morpholio

Morpholio is a free portfolio app that lets your team present a flawless portfolio of work to potential clients. Since this is a cloud-based app, any team member can be granted access so they can present work anytime anywhere.

You can also share images and have discussions on each project in the comment menu. Team members can sketch over images, and share ideas quickly and easily from remote locations. For instance, if a client wants an image changed, an employee can use the app to make a quick sketch over the piece for the client to see immediately.

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Mozy

Mozy is a cloud storage service with an emphasis on security and easy sharing. It allows users to schedule daily backups and store projects so that employees, contract workers and even clients can access them from anywhere. Since Mozy syncs across all platforms, whether it’s iOS or an Android device, you can access your projects with the touch of a button.

With Mozy’s military-grade protection and encryption, your client information will also be safe from prying eyes. For example, it protects against ransomware, a type of malware that spreads through your computer and locks files so you can’t access them. Mozy acts as another line of defense against this type of attack. If your files are stored on the cloud, this type of ransomware can’t access them.

Most ransomware comes in the form of a link through email or social media, so make sure your employees do not open strange links while on work devices.

Wrike

Wrike is online workflow management software designed to improve efficiency of centralized and remote work forces. With a three-pane layout, you can view project data at a glance and keep track of progress. You can ask for updates, prioritize tasks and share projects with team members and clients in addition to using analytics to create reports that show timelines and project efficiency.

A large focus of Wrike is a streamlined management approach, allowing employees to see exactly what they are responsible for and the deadline for these tasks. One of the most common reasons for delayed projects is miscommunication, and Wrike aims to minimize this.

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This article is published by Will Sherwood | The Sherwood Group |Website Design | Graphic Design | Marketing Communications: The Sherwood Group has over 30 years of experience working with all sorts of companies, small and large. Our clients range from entrepreneurs to Fortune 500 firms, in nearly every business sector, from across the street to around the world (and yes, even Europe, China, and South America). Our goal is to create advertising,  graphic design, website design, and marketing communication that still looks fresh and relevant 10-15 years later. Our mission is to stir your imagination and leave your competition shaken and wondering,  Now what do we do?”  We are located in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

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