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Well designed, attractive apps are one thing, but it seems that useful apps for designers are an entirely different ball game. These relatively new apps are best for designers who need to balance their books and save their time for work, rather than wasting hours away on social media—and there are some fun, entertaining apps too. Read on for the full list and head over to the app store when you’re done.
Behance Apps
As many of us already know this portfolio website, its apps are also great to have on your mobile phone. The primary Behance app is sort of an art gallery space which allows designers to showcase their work, project-by-project. Owned by Adobe, Behance shows what design projects are the most popular in their number of views per page and they even have a contact section, allowing for networking. There’s also the ability to follow your favorite designers and the Discover function is the best for staying up to date with the latest, cutting edge design. See more Behance apps here.
Cushion
This app is a time-saver for those tempted to waste away their freelance hours on social media while liking posts. It offers a schedule, a calendar and hourly commitments with your clients, which allows you to track invoices from clients who have paid on time or late. There is a free trial and a monthly cost of $8 after. Check it out and see if it’s worth it for you. Get it here.
[Related: Learn how to start your own freelance creative business in this online course from HOW Design University.]
Evernote
This app seems to never go out of style; it’s a brilliant go-to task manager for designers who work across several different devices, from mobile phones to iPads and desktops. Evernote brings together digital files like receipts, paper sketches, notes and photos all in one easy-to-locate place, proving its perfect for the slightly less organized creative. Get it here.
Wave
Accounting just got easier with this free app, which balances the books for you to save the extra time with taxes. With a photo option to turn paper receipts into accounting transactions, this app helps manage income and expenses for both solopreneurs and small businesses which have up to nine employees (yes, employees can check the same account as the boss, too). Payroll can be done on the run, basically, out of your pocket. Massive bonus that it’s free, too. Find it here.
Hackpad
The app is basically a collaborative text editor that calls itself a “real-time wiki” with different collaborators each having their own usernames. It’s good for collaborating on documents like photos, video and text. It’s free for personal use but costs $2 per user for professional work. Find it here.
Freedom
Just when you thought you couldn’t download another app on your phone, there is one app that cancels out everything you’ve downloaded. Freedom is an internet, social media and app blocker which helps increase work productivity. It works on the iPhone, iPad, Mac and Windows computers and helps improve focus and productivity by blocking your favorite distraction websites during your peak productivity hours (no scrolling on Instagram between 9-5, for example). There are ways to plan out daily or weekly block sessions, putting the priority where it matters. Available here.
Paper & Pencil by Fiftythree
For those who need a break from Illustrator, or just want to use a digital pen, this iPad app is a fun way of creating digital sketches to kickstart new ideas that need to be mapped out in visual form, either for your own memory or something quick to show the team. It seems we’ve come a long way since drawing on cocktail napkins. Find it here.
Learn more about app and UX design in these online courses from HOW Design University:
- Earn a certificate in UX Design
- Advanced Photoshop Techniques
- Advanced CSS Layouts
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