16

Must have iPhone apps for designers

over 5 years ago from , User Interface Designer

So I did it, I bit the bullet and ordered an iPhone X.. Problem is, I've been out of the iPhone game for so long that I don't know what the latest 'must have' apps are for designers and creatives alike.

Sure 'Sketch Mirror' & 'Medium' were the first to pop into my mind, but I want to hear what apps you guys have --- suggestions?

11 comments

  • Rhys Webber, over 5 years ago

    Hi Korey, the apps I use are these

    1. Display by Behance - I use this to show people out and about some work I have done. The app's really professional so gives off a good impression.

    2. Dribbble - Again, I use Dribbble to showcase my work I have uploaded on Dribbble. It's also great to get some inspiration on the go. I've used the Dribbble app whilst I was on the train doing some wireframe sketches.

    3. Sketch Mirror - Must have for when doing responsive designs.

    4. Color Picker - I use Color Picker whilst I'm planning designs. I like to add a page to my Moleskine full of themes, colours and wireframes before I start on the digital version. The app is great for quickly finding colours and getting the hex code for it.

    5. WhatTheFont - This app is one of my favourites, take a picture of a graphic using a font you like e.g a label, draw boundaries around it, select the letters and the app finds the font, if not very similar fonts. Great for when you're out and see a product using a really nice font.

    6. DesignerNews - Obviously I use it to browse when I have time.

    9 points
    • Korey Hall, over 5 years ago

      Thanks Rhys, I'll be sure to check those out - WhatTheFont sounds awesome, I can definitely see myself using that haha

      1 point
  • Kyle D, over 5 years ago

    Blackbox: A beautifully designed puzzle game that taps into all the features of the iPhone, quite possibly the best designed game for iOS, ever.

    4 points
  • Matt WalkerMatt Walker, over 5 years ago

    Office Lens - Captures pictures of whiteboards.

    Coolors - Generate random color schemes and create custom ones.

    3 points
  • Marc EdwardsMarc Edwards, over 5 years ago

    These are some of my favourite design related iPhone apps.

    Soulver — So good for doing design related calculations.

    Dash — Offline docs for CSS, HTML, JavaScript, Swift, and lots of cheat sheets for various design related things. Dash is even better on Mac, but still awesome on iOS.

    Dropbox, Slack, 1Password, YouTube, Pocket Casts or Castro or Overcast — For obvious reasons. :)

    Skala View (or for Android) — Even if you use something else, I still find it useful to be able to take a screenshot and open it in Skala View to zoom in really far to see pixels. This means you can check alignment and other things entirely on the device. Yes, shameless plug, but this is one of the main reasons we created the app, and it’s free… ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

    Halide — Super awesome camera app, with histograms, raw capture and other pro stuff. Really good if you want more insight and control over photos.

    Better — Helps make browsing faster, more private, and saves battery life.

    2 points
  • Joshua MillerJoshua Miller, over 5 years ago
    • Prototyping — Framer, Invision, Adobe XD
    • UX Lookup — UX Recipe, UX Assist, UX Alphabet, UX Companion,
    • Communication — Airmail, Outlook for iOS is nice too, Slack,
    • Misc — Oak (meditation), Google Assistant, Airtable, Ifttt
    • From Phone to Computer — Adobe Capture
    • Keeping up w/ the Joneses — Product Hunt, Instapaper, Unread (rss)
    • Journaling – Day One
    • Camera — Halide Camera, VSCO, Google Motion Stills
    • Podcasts — Pocketcasts or Overcast
    • Gaming — I really like the mechanics of Drag 'n' Boom lately, Oceanhorn is another classic

    Also, don't forget about the Messages specific app store — animoji is just the icing on the cake of other random GIF apps, etc built into iMessage now

    1 point
  • Harold Spitz, over 3 years ago

    I really like to create a color palette in Adobe Color CC. The world is full of inspiring color combinations, and with the help of Adobe Color, you can explore the color in a new way, create your own palettes and themes. To do this, you need to point the camera at the object, and the application will create a palette that will automatically be saved in Creative Cloud. Check how your apps will look like with the iPhone mockup. I also love VectorSNAP. This application can be used to convert color photographs to black and white vector drawings and scale to any possible size without sacrificing quality.

    0 points
  • Alex HoffmanAlex Hoffman, over 5 years ago

    Monument Valley 1 and 2 are def a must have game for iPhone. I love Clear for making lists, all gesture based. Other than that it really just depends on what SM apps you like and any other productivity/utility apps you like. I personally love Simple banking, 1Password, Robinhood and Apollo, all wonderfully designed apps.

    0 points
  • Matt WillettMatt Willett, over 5 years ago

    Pushpin is a great app for viewing bookmarks and organizing your thoughts through Pinboard. Ever since I made the jump to it, it's been a simply lovely workflow for organizing thoughts, inspirational pieces, read-it-later articles, and just putting order to chaos.

    Meditation is a must as well. As it is a great way to pepper in some mindfulness exercises and meditations through your day. It's not centered on subscription models, so it's one initial purchase which is really worth it. Great for just rebalancing yourself when you need 5 minutes away from your desk.

    and of course Designer News.

    0 points
  • Ismael Branco, over 5 years ago

    pinterest, shazam, spotify, youtube

    0 points