Even though I’ve been designing for a long time, I haven’t done a lot with vector graphics. Illustrator and Flash are definitely weaknesses of mine and I’ve set out to learn more. The new Threadless store will be offering design training classes with Digital Bootcamp, but I’m also looking into resources for learning on my own. The biggest barrier so far has been software.

I totally understand why software is so expensive and that there’s a lot that goes into creating the product. What I don’t understand is the lack of reasonably-priced options in this area. From what I understand, Photoshop Elements has been pretty successful because the stuff they’ve left out is for truly advanced users. However, there is no such product for Illustrator and I’m not about to buy it new when I’m not sure how much use I’ll get out of it.

You used to be able to buy older versions of software on eBay for fairly reasonable prices, but listings these days are few and far between. I really hope that this isn’t due to pressure by Adobe, because that was about the only option I have left for getting a legitimate license.