: What materials would I need to start Graphic design I have gotten a new found interest in Graphic designing ever since I learned what it was about. So any ideas for what a rookie should buy

@Cofer715

I'll forego mentioning any books or learning materials and stick to the actual devices you'll need to start creating.

Workspace
I know that it might seem appealing, to work from your couch every day as a freelance graphic designer, but it gets old fast. It's important to have a comfortable and supportive chair, because you'll be spending a lot of time in it.

I find it's also really helpful to set your desk/chair/workspace up in an area away from the main rooms in your home. Having your own creative space where you can go to escape any distractions, like room mates or pets, will go a long way. I like options of things to look at, so I prefer to be near some windows if I can. Get some good speakers or headphones too!

Computer
Laptop, desktop, Mac, PC...your call, just make sure it meets (and hopefully exceeds) the minimum system requirements of whichever programs you decide to use. As a beginner, you probably won't need something too insane, but if you have the budget there certainly isn't any harm in investing. If you plan on doing any animations or video editing, you'll definitely want to spend a bit more on a nicer machine. I can say that, budget-wise, a desktop PC will always give you the most bang for your buck and they are the easiest/cheapest to upgrade. Macs are also very nice, but at a much higher cost. I do prefer the Mac OS and ease-of-use to PC, though.

Software
Adobe offers free 30-day trials of their Creative Cloud applications, so I'm not sure why you would want to use anything else. I know there are other options available, but Adobe is pretty much the standard and, in joining Creative Cloud, you'll get access to any Adobe application you want, which is very helpful to learning. Even when your trial has expired, their CC subscription isn't too expensive, especially with a college email.

Monitor
I would have to disagree with Meta... on this. To me, a good quality monitor is essential to any designer, new or experienced. It's not as critical for web use, but for print and video, it's not even a question. I'm not saying go out and buy a top-of-the-line, professionally calibrated monitor, but certainly don't skimp. There are decent 4k monitors available for a reasonable price.

Accessories
This really depends on what you're trying to create and your own personal preferences. If you do a lot of drawings/animations, maybe look into getting yourself a decent tablet. I don't like tablets, but I also don't do any real drawing. I have seen people use tablets for things like 3D modeling as well, but I still prefer a mouse for that too. These items are really your call.

There are many routes to acquiring your tools and figuring out where you're going along the way, but this is just my two cents on where to begin.

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@Sent7350415

You're a rookie, why pay money for software?

Hardware


You need a computer / laptop. It doesn't have to be a particularly good one. As long as you can boot Lubuntu or Windows XP, you can get started.
A computer screen. I really like my 1080p monitors, but that's not needed at all for a beginner. The screen you have on your computer should suffice. If you start to feel limited, invest in some reasonable quality, but not overpriced 1080p monitors.
I like using a mouse, specifically a trackball. However, trackpads are used, and if you have a pen tablet go for that.
You could buy a pen tablet, like a Wacom tablet. Definitely not required.


Software


I really like Inkscape. It's a vector graphics editor, it uses the SVG format, and can export to PNG and save as EPS.
I use Ubuntu as my OS, but Windows or OS X is also fine - I just like Ubuntu. You will probably get an OS with your computer.

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