Smoothy Script & Sans
Smoothy has become one of my go-to typefaces. This font duo has been used within several of my designs, including logos and plenty of tutorial artwork.
These are the tools and resources that I personally rely upon in my own creative toolbox to work smarter and more efficiently
Here you'll find my most used tools, including my favourite fonts, my go-to creative assets, and the products and services I use in my daily life as a designer. I hope you find them useful too! If you decide to purchase some of these products yourself, I'll receive a small cut of the sale at no extra cost to you.
My Favourite Fonts
I've always been a bit of a snob when it comes to fonts. I just can't stand the awful kerning and bad quality of many free fonts available on the web, so I've spent years building a library of pro-grade typefaces to call upon. Everyone loves the classics like Helvetica, Garamond, etc, but here are some of my more recent favourites.
No. Seven
Whenever I need a bold brush script, No. Seven always has my back. It comes with so many OpenType features that it can create a unique type layout every time.
Java Heritages
I'm a big fan of the vintage design style, especially signage from the 19th century. This isn't just a font, it's an all-in-one kit for creating nostalgic type.
Bison
One font class you'll find plenty of in my collection is condensed industrial sans-serifs. Bison is my newest addition, and like the animal, it's a powerful beast!
Rockeby
Rockeby is such a cool font-family with so many styles it's like a complete library in itself! I used this font in the branding and logo design for my wife's business.
Beautiful Minds
Two type styles you don't expect to work so well together are a modern serif and brush script, but Beautiful Minds nails the look and provides this ready-made font pair.
Essential Creative Assets
I make use of all the free design resources I share here on Spoon Graphics in my own work, but I also rely upon a few trusty resources from other creatives that form an integral part of my toolkit.
Paper Textures
Paper textures are a staple of my design work! This particular pack has loads of high resolution, clean, rough & aged paper textures all in one place.
Illustrator Brushes
Illustrator brushes are the secret ingredient to creating authentic looking illustrations. Each set helps you create a whole new illustrative style.
Grunge Brushes
I've been using Liam Mckay's Subtle Grunge Photoshop Brushes in my work for over a decade. They are perfect for creating distressed effects.
Print Mockups
Never present your print designs to clients—or in your portfolio—as flat graphics. Simulate how the finished print will look with mockup templates. This pack contains every product you'll need.
Apparel Mockups
You don't have to own a t-shirt store to need apparel mockups, just putting your art on a tee makes it 10x cooler! These photorealistic mockups that wrap your design around every wrinkle are the best.
Brand Book Template
Creating a killer presentation for a brand design is almost as important as the concept itself. This brilliant template pack makes it easy to create stunning style guides and brand guidelines.
Products and Services
My rickety old 2012 iMac is my number one most used piece of hardware, but I'd recommend you opt for something a little more up to date! Here's a few other pieces of hardware, software, products and services that allow me to do what I do.
Wacom Intuos Pro
Every designer needs a pen tablet! The pen provides much finer control for all kinds of design tasks, not just illustrative work. The touch feature of my Wacom Intuos Pro has also been a miracle cure for my wrist problems caused by mouse use.
Blue Yeti Mic
My Blue Yeti microphone has helped me record great quality voiceover audio for my video tutorials for a number of years. Accessorise it with an arm mount and pop filter, then turn down the Gain and get real close for lovely smooth vocals.
Adobe CC
The Adobe suite of design software is the industry standard, so it's what I use on a daily basis. The Creative Cloud subscription has put an end to having to constantly buy each new release, so now I always have access to the latest versions!
Design Cuts Bundles
My toolkit has been stacked full of top quality design resource products over recent years, and it's all thanks to the unmissable deals from Design Cuts. Every bundle contains a collection of best-selling tools with massive discounts of 98-99%, which save you thousands of dollars off the regular price.
Email Newsletter
There would be no point putting so much effort into my content if nobody knew about it, which is why my email newsletter service from AWeber is so important. AWeber helps me keep in touch with my audience by managing my mailing list, while complying with important data laws to keep everyone's details safe.
Stock Images
Shutterstock is my go-to library for stock images. Whenever I need a royalty free photo to use within a design, there's always plenty of high-resolution images to choose from. Being a subscription service means I can conveniently grab as many images as I need, without having to buy them on an individual basis.