Discussion -- From Inkscape to Illustrator

[Brave-Bird 08]

Hey guys -- It's been a while, concept forums wise. 

 

Between my current job (I'm now a resident of North Carolina!) and my new allotment of free time, I've hit a moment of great self-demanding when it comes to designing. I've always done it as a side hobby, but didn't take courses on it in college or receive any type of professional training. 

 

I've made many posts in the past on these boards using Inkscape, but feel like the industry demand if I want to grow is to switch to Illustrator and Photoshop. So my questions and concerns are: Should I feel strongly about basically re-training myself in Illustrator since it's the industry standard? Are there any designers who have made that type of switch? Does anyone actually prefer Inkscape? I'm so comfortable with it, but I do know it has limitations. 

 

This is a very open-ended discussion. Drop in advice, experiences, etc.

[joob]

I've never used Inkscape before but from what I've seen and heard, it's geared more towards artists. Thats not to say Illustrator isn't the best program for artists though. You're definitely right saying the industry standard is the Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign etc). Although I haven't had any experience with Inkscape, I can sort of relate since when I first started doing image manipulation stuff and graphics, I started with GIMP. I used GIMP for about a year, knowing that Photoshop was the superior program and industry standard. But I spent time learning GIMP before I made the jump to Photoshop. Learning how to use Inkscape gives you a head start on learning how to use Illustrator, in the same way GIMP helped me learn Photoshop, because there were lots of similarities. 

 

It's definitely a difficult challenge to learn something new, especially when you're so comfortable with what you have, but in this case, learning Illustrator is key if you want to have a career in the design industry, no matter what specific design-related field you're pursuing. I found it's best to learn things, especially software, while you're young. As I get older I get more impatient with learning. 

 

Hope I helped.