: What are some essential tools I need to start school? I dont have an artistic background, so when I start school soon, I don't really know what I'm going to need and what I'm not going to

@Caterina889

Every class, not just school, will have an equipment list.

When I went to school you needed and entire toolbox. I have no clue how much hands-on training is done now. Seems classes tend to focus on computers and software far more than theory anymore.

I can tell you software has replaced many things.... amber/rubyliths, ruling pens, technical pens, proportional wheel, pica pole, scoring tool, X-acto knife, spray on adhesive, layout paper, tracing paper, matte board, foam core, t-squares and triangles, brushes, markers, colored pencils, blueline pencils/pens, and on and on.

I think you should just show up with a pen and paper and see what they want you to have.

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@Ravi4787994

As Joonas pointed out in the comments, it really depends on the school.

If you're like most of us when we went to school, you're on a tight budget. You need to spend your money on the supplies immediately required. The only way to get that answer is to speak with an adviser. Before you even do that, talk with some of the other design students and see which adviser will actually help. Not all professors are equal ;)

Incidently, everything Brendan listed is fine, you just may not need all of that the first quarter/semester. On the other hand, there's a long list of other supplies that you may need: layout pad; journal; sketch supplies; paper cement; calligraphy supplies; and the list goes on.

Bottom line: Don't spend a dime until you get advice from someone who knows your school's curriculum.

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@Vandalay110

What you need will depend on what you take, and who you have. Some schools will have better supplies than others, too.

Lots of people will probably come up with great answers, so I don't feel the need to be exhaustive. Some items that were and/or are essential for me:


X-ACTO knives (get lots of extra blades)
Black mat board
Spray adhesive (stock up on newspapers to spray on)
Long, metal ruler (preferably with a grippy side)
"Self-healing" cutting mat
Masonite board
Bone folder


At some point you will be printing out your stuff, cutting it, and mounting it to board to present. These will help you with that. Knives to cut, board to mount, adhesive to affix. Ruler helps cut; metal means you won't hack pieces out of it and grippy means it won't slide around. Cutting mat gives you something to cut on, but they're a bit flimsy, so if you don't have a table top handy a piece of masonite works wonders for creating a solid surface to cut, draw, put your laptop on, etc.

The bone folder helps you score and crease for better folds, particularly when printing off of laserjet.

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