in projects that just need the actual finish project and not the file types then inkscape is way way better than illustrator.

check these babies out and tell me if money will ever surpass talent:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/35772571@N03/3554078653/in/pool-screencasters

http://www.flickr.com/photos/35772571@N03/3365772036/in/pool-screencasters

http://www.flickr.com/photos/35772571@N03/3385309196/in/pool-screencasters

PS: I was only stating ‘if’ I was self-employed. The same applies though – with the few private jobs I have done, clients haven’t required any particular file formats.

I’m sure you already know this, but there are *plenty* of good graphic and web designers around who don’t need to get hired – they are self-empoyed. In fact, you’d probably find that a lot of the best designers don’t report to an office at 9 AM every morning.

At the end of the day, you either choose to use what you prefer, or what your employer decides. There is not one piece of software that everyone *must* know or use. This is called choice and freedom. Things like open source software (GNU/Linux, Firefox, Inkscape) help promote choice and freedom.

If I’m self employed and want to use Inkscape, I can – because my clients couldn’t care less about the file format or software I use – they just want the work done. They appreciate that I am the designer and therefore can my own decisions – I’m all grown-up now ;)

I don’t let anyone decide what I will use. If I did, I’d still be using Windows :)

There is more of an argument here than there needs to be. Inkscape can’t output AI files, but Illustrator supports SVG, so there is really not that much of a format war at all. Personally I think Inkscape’s Trace Bitmap is way better than Illustrator’s Live Trace, and that’s all I use it for. Inkscape can also be nice for those who don’t have the cash for Illy.

Open source software works where there is pressure, so Inkscape is incorporating colour management (CMYK, Adobe RGB, and RGB), it’s export functions are going to include multiple formats (PNG is a really good quality export format as it stands).

Adobe and CS never used to be the standard, Corel used to hold market sway, and now corel format files are very rarely heard of, so maybe it is worthwhile learning inkscape, and making it a must have, it is certainly at a level where there are a few places in the design industry which can currently run on only inkscape, and inkscape opens the doors for hobbyists and enthusiasts, the kid down the street, etc. so best you be on your guard, cos some time someone will come along with a sparkling portfolio, amazing talent, and skills in inkscape, and it would be in your interest, as a company, to understand the value of that person ;)

p.s. wonderful site!

I think you have missed my point…..don’t stop learning to use alternative programs because someone tells you something isn’t a standard…..designers….people and even employers make a products a standard….. but that’s not my point….my point is why should you not learn something that improves your work flow because the industry has yet to make it a standard…..If it is capable of being utilized and it can be worked into your flow without a huge workaround then Its not a question of what is standard….obviously my arsenal includes the standards like Adobe suite…but it also includes programs that are not standards in order to help produce work. Please don’t misunderstand also that just because you work in a non-standards program that it has the final say over output……I often use open source 3-d programs to produce 3-d imagery but take it into PS then to illustrator…..I’m just saying don’t sell your brain short by being told its this way or the highway…obviously you have to determine what the final output file is but with most programs exporting to another filetype will allow you to make use of your work in a program that is acceptable as “Standard”. Bottom line: don’t limit yourself cause you think you aren’t working in a so-called “standards” program. LEARN LEARN LEARN….it will only accentuate your skill set!!!! nuff said

Inkscape reduces the amount of time it takes for me to draw a nice illustration by about ~8 hours. Its not whether or not anyone has heard of Inkscape, its what you can do with it that counts. I could say roughly the same thing about Mac vs Windows; very few organizations use Macs at every level, but stability and bulk modification using applescript + Photoshop actions makes the Mac a much more viable platform for some (ie, me)

Picture this: Microsoft dominates the web browser scene, then a little open source company make this browser called ‘Firefox’. I’m sure there were plenty of people at the time who said “we don’t need another browser”or “Internet Explorer (6) is the industry standard”. The market share for IE6 was something ridiculous – does that make it right in the software world? No.

Now look where Firefox is. Like I previously mentioned, the format of the file is the important thing – SVG files *will* be heavily used on the web in years to come – trust me, I’m a web designer too, so I can see the differences between the two industries and where they meet. Inkscape is merely one program that is good at using them. Illustrator’s support for SVG will improve no end, I’m sure, and I can imagine a day when .ai files are no longer used, but instead an open format like SVG :)

Meanwhile, our studio uses a lot of .ai’s. And we probably will, for a while, until SVG really blossoms. Then programs like Inkscape will gain more popularity.

As a web designer, if I walked into a web design company to get myself hired, and said “I design websites for IE6, nothing else”, I’d probably be thrown out of the building in under 10 seconds. I’m not saying Adobe is bad like Microsoft in their dominance, but change has happened before, and will happen again (for the good of designers, clients, employers and employees).