Tools of the Trade is an AgencySpy feature to help highlight the many tools that help make advertising and marketing folks successful. The tools can be anything that helps people perform at their top form, from a favorite drafting table to the best software program to a lucky pen, a vintage typewriter or a pair of headphones.
Next up is Abigail Hunter, content graphic designer and illustrator at Max Connect Digital.
Abigail Hunter, seen here using her iPad Pro and Apple Pencil.
What is one tool you use all the time at work, and how does it inspire your work?
My iPad Pro and Apple Pencil. I know these are technically two tools but I count them as one. While it might not be super original, my iPad Pro and Apple Pencil inspires my work by helping me feel more connected to what I’m creating, thanks to the hands-on nature of the medium. I mainly use it with ProCreate but also have the flexibility to use it with other programs such as Adobe Illustrator, etc.
Why is it your favorite?
Having always been a doodler, using a hands-on tool helps me to expand my creative abilities much further than a computer and keyboard ever does. I think you remove something special from the creative process when you can’t touch it in some way and see your hands do the actual work. I use it every day, whether that be through client work or through my own passion projects. It is the ultimate transportable tool. I use it in my home office but it also enables me to get out and create just as well.
How did you acquire your tool or hear about it for the first time?
I acquired it when the Covid pandemic first began. I had seen and heard of iPads and Apple pencils for years through other creatives that I’d followed on social media. It was only then, while very much cooped up at home, that I decided to take the plunge and it has made all the difference.
How does it help you be successful?
Before I got the iPad/Apple Pencil duo, any digital illustration I had done had been small. Once I started illustrating every day, I realized how much I loved and enjoyed using it and I was able to gain a sense of accomplishment I hadn’t felt before. It’s really that sense of accomplishment that makes me feel the most successful and I’m proud of my work. I think uneven lines and textures also tend to make the world feel a little more familiar and friendly when we are constantly subject to so many harsh edges and lines!
Does it have sentimental value?
Less so for the object and more so for the space in-between a blank slate (or screen) and making something beautiful that wasn’t there before.
Do you think your tool could go TikTok viral? Why or why not?
Yes, it already has. So many illustrators put their digital work on TikTok and it is immensely satisfying to watch their process from A to B. In my opinion, there really isn’t anything more soothing to watch.
We want to know what tools you use to make you successful. If you’d like to contribute or know someone who would want to be featured in Tools of the Trade, contact kyle.obrien@adweek.com and fill out our survey.