Digital Media Designer: Columns: State of the Art

We're coming up on the end of the year, and you know what that means: AWARD TIME! This year, more than many in recent memory, designers have a lot to celebrate. Software geared for the creation and editing of graphics have advanced so far in terms of usability and functionality that it's almost inconceivable to ponder the days before design took place on the computer screen. So we here at Digital Media Designer think it's appropriate to honor the good folks who have done so much to make what is already the best job in the world—namely creating art—even more enjoyable.

This is no way intended to be a complete overview of the design industry. Rather, we're honoring those software products that stand out far above the competition (according to our scientific analyses) and that have contributed innovations to the art so valuable that they have become indispensable tools for us to use. So, for example, we're not giving an award for page layout program because, frankly, I'm torn between two particular programs—one that I enjoy using and one that has more features than the one I enjoy using. (You figure it out.) We're also not covering hardware because there's simply too much of it to cover adequately.

For this year's awards, we're looking at the best products in each category listed below, plus an overall best product winner. The awards are chosen by the editorial staff here with only one criterion: "We couldn't live without this product."

The categories:

Best Overall Design Product
Best Graphics Program
Best Web Graphics Editor
Best Web Page Layout Program
Best Web Animation Tool
Plugins of the Year