Now that the long-awaited iPad is here, designers have a new tool to help them be productively creative. Consider the following apps that can help you do just that.
Source: lucamascaro
1. Phaidon Design Classics ($19.99)
An excellent repository of classic designs, this app takes you on a visual, guided tour of 1,000 designs that are considered classics. This is especially helpful for new or aspiring designers.
2. Adobe Ideas (Free)
Never scribble your ideas on the back of a napkin again! This digital sketchbook, which comes from the makers of Illustrator and Photoshop, gives you a simple way to capture your ideas on the fly.
3. Brushes (Free)
The iPhone app that has reportedly been used to produce numerous paintings for the cover of The New Yorker is now available for the iPad. It has been updated to take advantage of the iPad’s larger screen. Besides all the usual painting tools, Brushes gives you the ability to upload your work directly to your Flickr albums.
4. OmniGraffle ($49.99)
A powerful tool for creating page layouts, process charts, website wireframes, diagrams, and graphic designs, OmniGraffle is likely to be one of the more popular design apps among professional iPad owners.
5. WordPress (Free)
Easily manage your WordPress blog or portfolio with this free little app. Features include creating and editing posts, and moderating comments. Now your blog will always be up-to-date with your latest thoughts and creations!
6. MindNode ($5.99)
MindNode is an excellent tool for those of us who use mind maps to brainstorm ideas and organize our thoughts. Priced at just $5.99, this is a hard deal to beat.
7. Air Display ($9.99)
This nifty little app turns your iPad into a second monitor for your desktop computer. It’s great for collaborating with peers, clients, or fellow designers. Since it shares your desktop over WiFi, there are no messy cables to get in the way.
8. Ego ($4.99)
The name says it all. Ego lets you quickly check your stats such as page hits, number of followers on Twitter, Feedburner feed count, and so on. It’s only $4.99, which—for those us of us with an ego bigger than our wallets—is a small price to pay.
9. Gusto ($9.99)
Gusto is simple but powerful tool for editing your website. It provides tools for creating and editing files, as well as for uploading your changes to a web server via FTP. This is a good app for web designers who travel a lot.
10. CoolHunting (Free)
The popular site coolhunting.com is now available on your iPad. A wide range of stories and videos converge on this app, giving you exactly the kind of fresh input you need to stay plugged-in and creative.
Meanwhile you can check out the new PowWowNow Free Conference Call iPhone application which brings you free mobile conference calling at the touch of a button. So you can easily Schedule conferences, set automatic call alerts plus store and manage your personal details so joining calls is only ever one touch away.
As this brief overview has shown, the ways in which the iPad will change your life as a designer are seemingly endless. Now’s the time to explore, dig in, and start designing!
This post was written by James Adams who works at an online specialist print cartridge store that supplies ink cartridges to the creative design industry in the UK.
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