❯ The 7 Best Keyboards for Designers: 2024 Guide (2024)

The best keyboards for Graphic Design differ from conventional keyboards in that the latter are only intended to cover the needs of a casual user.

The best keyboards for Graphic Design have specific functions and features to facilitate and increase the productivity of graphic designers.

In the following selection of recommended keyboards for graphic design, you will find different models ordered according to how well they meet the needs of designers. Of course, they are all top quality keyboards, belonging to brands like Apple, Logitech or Corsair.

The 7 best keyboards for designers in 2024

1. Logitech Craft

Last price update on 2023-05-17. We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.

The best keyboard for designers

The Logitech Craft is a professional wireless keyboard for Graphic Design and is specifically designed to improve your productivity and comfort when designing.

For starters, it has a sleek design, rounded edges to keep your arms safe and a space gray color that blends perfectly with your computer and other state-of-the-art devices.

The body and key materials are top-notch and it feels sturdy and compact. The keys rest on an aluminum body and are particularly quiet and comfortable. To achieve this, they use a short-stroke membrane mechanism and have a small indentation on the surface so that you don’t make mistakes when typing.

This keyboard stands out for its selector disk called “crown”, to which you can assign different functions depending on the context and the program you are using. Through the keyboard software you can set different functions for Photoshop, Lightroom, Illustrator, After Effects or any other program you use.

The Logitech Craft also helps you improve your workflow. If you have your tablet and cell phone on your desktop while you work, in addition to your computer (which is very common among web designers), you can operate all three devices alternately from the keyboard.

Just by pressing a button, you can select which device you want to control from the keyboard. It also has a key to lock the screen of the mobile or tablet when you are not using it.

To save energy, its intelligent backlighting system turns on only when you bring your hands close to it. Thanks to this, the keyboard lasts up to a week without recharging (via USB-C), but you can make it last longer by simply switching off the backlight during the day.

2. Logitech MX Keys Advanced

Last price update on 2023-03-29. We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.

The best value for money designer keyboard

The Logitech MX Advanced is the best value for money designer keyboard, because of its features and overall quality.

It is a wireless keyboard with a compact, solid and sturdy design with a Space Grey colored base that blends perfectly with most of today’s computers. Unlike the Logitech MX Mini keyboard, the MX Advanced version has a full-size keyboard.

In terms of ergonomics, its keys have a slight concavity that makes them very comfortable to the touch and the key travel is slightly longer than on other scissor keyboards, providing good tactile feedback when typing. It also has a proximity sensor that backlights the keyboard only when you bring your hands close to the keys, which is very handy when working in low light.

Another great advantage of the MX Keys is that its keys are reprogrammable, so you can customize the keys for specific functions or shortcuts in each application. You can take this feature even further by combining this keyboard with the MX Anywhere 3 or MX Master 3 mouse, whose keys are also reprogrammable.

The best value for money keyboard for designing on Mac

If you use a Mac, you also have the full MX Keys for Mac keyboard and its MX Keys Mini for Mac version, both with command, option, and control buttons. I personally prefer to have the numeric keypad, so I would recommend the full version over the MX Mini for Mac.

3. Logitech K780

Last price update on 2022-11-18. We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.

The best keyboard for web designers

The Logitech K780 stands out for its multi-device function, and in fact it has a stand to place your mobile or tablet while you work and thus be able to see how your designs adapt to each screen.

Specifically, you can place up to 3 devices simultaneously (macOS, Windows, iOS or Android), whether they are tablets, mobiles or computers, and switch from one to the other instantly with the press of a key. If you are wondering, the holder can fit 2 tablets and a mobile without any problem.

Its fully rounded keys give it a retro-futuristic look as well as providing smooth, agile and quiet typing. To do this, the keys use a membrane mechanism and have a convex upper part to make it easier for you not to make mistakes when placing your fingers.

Although the keyboard uses 2 AAA batteries, Logitech promises up to 12 months of normal use without the need to change them.

4. Apple Magic Keyboard

Last price update on 2023-05-12. We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.

The best keyboard from Apple

If you are an illustrator, or you design with a medium or large graphic tablet, you will love the Apple Magic Keyboard. It stands out for being small and compact, which leaves a lot of space on the desk for the rest of your things.

Designed in aluminum, with rounded edges and white keys, it is already an Apple classic that has been slightly restyled in this version.The keys use a very quiet short-travel scissor mechanism, which facilitates agile and effortless typing.

Forget about batteries and constant recharging. The new Magic Keyboard can go for about a month without recharging. After that, simply connect it to your computer via its USB-C port to recharge it in just a couple of hours.

It goes without saying that this keyboard is only recommended for users of Mac computers because it has Apple’s own control keys (Fn, Command and Apple). Check out our selection of the best keyboards for Mac if you want to see more alternatives.

5. Logitech K750 Solar Keyboard

Last price update on 2022-12-26. We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.

The best wireless solar keyboard

Whether you’re concerned about the environment or want to say goodbye to changing keyboard batteries, the Logitech K750 is a wireless solar keyboard that also has a slim and sleek design.

The highlight of this keyboard is that it does not need batteries of any kind, since it is recharged through its two solar panels. It should be noted that it feeds on both sunlight and artificial light, so don’t worry if you don’t work next to a window. It has an indicator that will tell you if it is getting enough light.

Its keys are slightly concave to facilitate finger gliding and use a scissor mechanism that makes them quite quiet, although not as quiet as those of the Logitech Craft, for example.

6. Logitech G513

Last price update on 2022-12-26. We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.

The best mechanical keyboard to design and gaming

The Logitech G513 is a full keyboard specially designed for gamers. Its keys are black with RGB backlighting, and in the Carbon version come mounted on a dark grey aluminum base. In the Silver version (only available in some countries), it comes with black keys on a light aluminum base.

The keyboard has a USB input, so you can connect another device, but to prevent this from slowing you down while gaming, it uses two USB connections to plug into the computer.

The Logitech G513 includes a memory foam wrist rest specially designed for your comfort. The wrist rest is very comfortable and quickly adapts to the shape of your arms.

It is a mechanical keyboard with floating keys and cherry GX-BLUE switches, manufactured by Kaihl exclusively for Logitech. These provide smooth typing, while allowing you to feel every click tactilely and audibly.

Its keys are compatible with cherry key caps, so you can customize it to your liking. Logitech also includes several additional keys for gaming, with a different shape from the rest, so you can easily identify them by touch if your hand gets out of place while playing.

Through the Logitech G HUB you can also control and customize the led lights of the keys and their actions. Through this you can highlight, therefore, the keys that interest you with a different color and assign them key combinations to be faster playing and designing.

7. Logitech K600 TV

Last price update on 2022-12-26. We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.

Best keyboard for Smart TV and Design

Although it’s a keyboard specifically designed to connect to your PC and Smart TV, the Logitech K600 TV can be used with a console, tablet or even your mobile phone.

Its design is slim and sleek, with a dark grey aluminium frame and black scissor-action keys, providing a fast and quiet typing experience.

One of the most interesting features for designers is the ability to program keyboard shortcuts and actions. Through the software Corsair iCUE, you can redefine the functions of the keys and associate actions that save you a lot of time when designing. You can even associate these actions with movements and taps on the trackpad to be even faster!

Its trackpad has good sensitivity and can be programmed to detect all kinds of gestures, for both Windows and macOS. In the same area, it includes a pair of mouse buttons and an aluminium wheel to control the audio volume.

It also includes a joystick for gaming and even trigger buttons on the front and back. But although you can play your favorite console with it, the truth is that it takes some getting used to the position of the buttons

It’s quite handy, however, for getting around the menus of a Smart TV.

Its battery lasts approximately 5 days with normal use. Then just connect it through its mini USB to the computer to charge it.

The 5 best-selling keyboards for design in 2024

Last price update on 2022-10-15. We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.

5 things to consider when choosing the best keyboard to design

Among the main criteria to consider when buying a keyboard for Graphic Design, you should pay special attention to the following.

English QWERTY layout

It seems obvious, but the truth is that many of the keyboards sold in U.S. online stores come with different layouts and languages, so you need to pay close attention to which one you are buying.

These keyboards come with different keys and in different positions, which ends up being impractical if you are going to work only in English. Always pay attention to this detail before buying any keyboard online because many times, a price reduction is due to this.

Wireless or wired?

Wireless keyboards are somewhat more expensive than wired keyboards, but they allow you to keep your desk clear of clutter. In addition, the latest generation of wireless keyboards no longer use batteries and can last up to one month with only two hours of recharging.

Only if you really like playing video games, I would recommend a wired Mac keyboard, rather than a wireless keyboard, because they have a shorter response time per keystroke.

Quality of materials

Investing in quality accessories is essential, especially if you spend many hours with them and your Mac. Right now I write with a 10-year-old Magic Keyboard that works like the first day, thanks to the quality with which it has been manufactured.

If you can afford it, save yourself potential headaches and buy quality peripherals.

Ergonomics

Try to choose a keyboard that has a slant that allows you to naturally position your hands when typing. There are keyboards that are already inclined by itself, but others allow you to adjust this inclination, which offers greater ergonomics.

If you use your computer on a daily basis, keep in mind that the ergonomics of your keyboard can prevent various back and joint injuries.

Additional features

There are keyboards that allow you to connect more than one device via Bluetooth, others allow you to reconfigure the keys or create keyboard shortcuts and actions that are activated with a click. Choose these features based on your current usage habits, or you may never use them.

The same goes for the backlight. Without a doubt, it is a very practical feature on laptops, because we usually take them from the desk to other parts of the house, but is it on an external keyboard? Check the lighting in the place where you are going to use it regularly, to assess if you really need that extra light.

Conclusions on the best keyboards for graphic design

When you choose one of the best keyboards for graphic design, you are making an investment in your future. Time is money and all the seconds that you can scratch in each action, in each gesture you make while you work, is time you win to carry out one more project or to do it even better.

While some keyboards like the J-Tech Digital Mechanical Designer Keyboard require some adaptation, the improvement that they suppose in the medium and long term in your working speed, more than compensate the effort.

But of course my favorite is the Logitech Craft, as it shares several advantages of the T11 Designer Keyboard with the fact that it is a full keyboard.