![Designer sketching](https://img.hunkercdn.com/375/photos.demandstudios.com/getty/article/92/97/164741410.jpg)
Artistic ability, color sense and creativity are among an interior designer's intangible tools. Equally important are the actual tools used by designers--their tools of the trade.
Drawing/CAD Tools
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![Building Plans](https://img.hunkercdn.com/375/photos.demandstudios.com/getty/article/151/158/78768028.jpg)
Drawing tools for sketching room designs and plans include a pencil, ruler, compass, protractor and graph paper.
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Computer-aided-design (CAD) software converts initial sketches and measurements into a 3-D plan for the designer and client.
Color Wheel
![Thoughtful interior designer looking at a colour wheel](https://img.hunkercdn.com/375///photos.demandstudios.com%2Fgetty%2Farticle%2F99%2F175%2F175220070.jpg?l=99&u=1099&r=1414&lo=2086)
The color wheel demonstrates the relationships of primary, secondary and tertiary colors. The wheel helps designers create pleasing color schemes based on a combination of complementary and analogous colors.
Paint Chips
![Man Sits at a Table in an Interior Design Shop Discussing a Colour Chart With a Female Shop Assistant](https://img.hunkercdn.com/375/photos.demandstudios.com/getty/article/190/5/dv1441035.jpg)
Paint manufacturers produce sets of paint chips or strips of colors for each of their lines. Interior designers use them to select room colors and coordinate paint colors with fabric, furniture and accessories.
Fabric Samples
![Young designer looks through sample book](https://img.hunkercdn.com/375///photos.demandstudios.com%2Fgetty%2Farticle%2F178%2F68%2F98198811.jpg?l=15&u=19&r=1644&lo=1239)
Like paint manufacturers, fabric makers provide designers with books and sample swatches to promote new product lines. The small swatches streamline fabric selection. These tools also assist the interior designer in developing a room's color palette.
Measuring Tape
![Construction and Surveyor](https://img.hunkercdn.com/375///photos.demandstudios.com%2Fgetty%2Farticle%2F181%2F242%2F168714333.jpg?l=0&u=844&r=1498&lo=1969)
Interior designers rely on measuring tapes to verify and calculate dimensions of interior spaces and furnishings. Rigid tapes measure straight lengths while cloth tapes calculate curved and angled surfaces.
Digital Camera
![Men photographing with mobile phone](https://img.hunkercdn.com/375/photos.demandstudios.com/getty/article/83/162/147969544.jpg)
Digital cameras create a visual record of job sites, furnishings and accessories. Interior designers can download photos into CAD programs and integrate them into design plans.