Digital design tools have advanced rapidly over the past few years. New products hit the market every year, each one able to perform previously unimaginable tasks! Today, among other wonderful gadgets and tools, we also have a tiny clip that when clipped on the top of your drawing paper, instantly digitalises every mark that you make on the paper with your pencil!
Needless to say, most of the latest technology is expensive, often prohibitively. Most of the investment that goes into setting a professional design practice goes towards your design kit. This includes software and other design tools and materials such as maybe a tablet and a computer.
Other overheads such as printer ink cartridges, paper, and other stationery are also not cheap. Graphic design can therefore be a fairly expensive affair. Of course, there are ways to minimise your costs without compromising on quality and functionality.
The thing with consumer technology is that it becomes obsolete very quickly. Most of the electronic gadgets today are designed to have a short shelf life, as this keeps the buying cycle going. To keep up to date with the industry, designers then have to invest in newer models of equipment.
If a company developed one graphics tablet that had all the features and wouldn't become out dated for years, that company would probably make less money than one that makes a new one each year with a couple of added features!
