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EnglishWhich Open Source Design Tools Does Open Source Design Highlight?
Updated
Open Source Design (opensourcedesign.net) lists five open source design tools on its homepage: Penpot, Inkscape, GIMP, Blender, and Krita. These are the tools the community surfaces as its "Open source design tools" entry point, and the site links to a broader resources page for more openly licensed design material. The list is a starting point for the community's toolset, not a ranked or exhaustive catalog — the site presents them as examples of the open design stack rather than as a formal recommendation.
The five tools and what each covers
| Tool | Typical design area |
|---|---|
| Penpot | UI and interface design, prototyping, design collaboration |
| Inkscape | Vector graphics, logos, icons, illustration |
| GIMP | Raster image editing, photo manipulation, compositing |
| Blender | 3D modeling, animation, rendering |
| Krita | Digital painting, illustration, concept art |
Read together, the five cover the main surfaces an open source project usually needs: interface mockups (Penpot), scalable vector assets (Inkscape), bitmap editing (GIMP), 3D work (Blender), and painted or illustrative artwork (Krita).
Why these tools sit next to the community's other work
The tool list is one of several resources on the site, alongside a job board, events, and a forum. The site frames this under the idea that "good design should be as open as good code" — the same principle that drives its job board (connecting designers with projects) and its openly licensed resources. The tools are the practical layer of that idea: software that designers can use, inspect, and share without proprietary lock-in.
The site also notes that it shares "openly licensed resources" and points to an all-resources page. If you want more than the five highlighted tools, that resources page is the place to look rather than the homepage list.
How to use this list when choosing a tool
The five tools are not interchangeable, so pick by the output you need:
- Designing a UI or prototype → start with Penpot.
- Drawing icons, logos, or other scalable graphics → Inkscape.
- Editing or retouching photos and raster images → GIMP.
- Working in 3D → Blender.
- Painting or creating illustration/concept art → Krita.
If your project needs a mix — for example, an app icon (Inkscape), a landing page mockup (Penpot), and a hero illustration (Krita) — the list is designed to be used as a set rather than a single pick.
What the page does and does not tell you
The homepage names the five tools and links to a resources page, but it does not publish version numbers, licensing details per tool, system requirements, or comparisons between them. For those specifics, check each tool's own project site. The value of the Open Source Design list is curation: it tells you which tools this community treats as part of the open design workflow, so you can start there instead of searching from scratch.