8 Apps Every Designer Should Have
I've bookmarked tons of lists that give great applications for increasing productivity and boosting the overall connection users have with the social networks and sites that have grown to be almost inseparable to lots of people. But how many of these applications really come through in the clutch? I've been working with dozens of the applications most tweeted about, dugged about, and facebooked to death and I've narrowed the list of applications down to 8 that I feel like I use every day in my endeavors as a fellow freelance designer.
At any rate, don't take my word for it. Try these applications, and see how well they work for you. I give kudos to all the different authors of these fantastically brilliant widgets that seem to make themselves more useful as the days go on.
http://www.flashadvocate.com/images/adobeair.jpg
Just in case you're unfamiliar with these applications, and have never experienced a desktop widget in action, most of these programs utilize something called "Adobe Air", which is an online / offline development technology based in flash. It acts as a flash player for adaptable and diverse applications both on the desktop and on the web. Be sure you get this before trying to install any of the applications listed below!
1. Tweetdeck
http://www.flashadvocate.com/images/tweetdeck.jpg
What more important aspect of a designer's world is more important than that of the social connection. Being able to easily get the right answers when you don't have the answers yourself is a vital ability that is often overlooked. Tweetdeck is an adobe air application that allows you to connect to both the Twitter network and the facebook network at the same time. An intuitive interface coupled by swift and smooth animation combine to bring you a pleasant experience. The entire layout is fluid and allows you to change its appearance (something many widgets leave out) based on your level of desktop real estate. How do I use it? It's my personal link to hundreds of designers and developers who are eager to share their information with others. Being a designer means learning on your feet. With tweetdeck, you can hit the ground running.
2. Doomi
http://www.flashadvocate.com/images/doomi.jpg
I'm a neat freak hidden in a messy guy's body. I don't understand my obsession with precision, but this is what does it for me. Doomi is essentially an in your face to-do-list that keeps track of things you may not feel like scribbling on that marker board you thought you'd use every day. It tucks away on your desktop for nifty stowage, and pops right back open when you need it. It's a fantastic and clean way to keep track of all your nit-picky projects, and an even better way to remember to grab milk after the big important client meeting. You can even set reminders for yourself with preset timers from 1 hours to 8 hours, or set your own. Oncce you've set a timer for a given task, it gives you a neat little analog clock showing the time you have left, in case you're dying to know how much time you have until you can start. :P I love it.
3. JustResizeIt
http://www.flashadvocate.com/images/justresizeit.jpg
Imagine you've just locked a deal with a client that should be a breeze. You are instructed to be the quality control for an image gallery set to launch next week. Your job: Make sure each image is exactly the same size. Sounds easy right? You get the zip on gmail and you get ready to ride the timer when you hear a familiar 'ding' via tweetdeck. The client just informed you that the project deadline has changed and is due tomorrow by the end of business, and it's already 2pm. You nod reassuringly, mentally shifting projects around to meet the deadline. You open up the zip, and your jaw drops as you see 400 pictures staring you in the face. What do you do? Simple. JustResizeIt gives you a quick and efficient way to resize images on the go. Step 1. You create a tailored "widget" within the app. Step 2. Drag your image onto the widget you made. Step 3. Drag the completed image away and back to your desktop (or designated folder). Compare that to the number of steps it would take to even employ a photoshop action! Did I make my point?
4. Pixus
http://www.flashadvocate.com/images/pixus.jpg
Pixus is pretty self-explanatory, and really straightforward. It's a desktop pixel ruler that will measure anything visible on your screen. You can drag it around and stretch it to find out how wide a certain space is, figure out how big an image is on the fly, or even get precise measurements of an application. The rulers are transparent to a point so that you can make sure you aren't overlapping. It's quick, and even supports multi-display setups. I like this program because it's no fuss, and gets the job done, all without hogging valuable system resources and keeping adobe open and happy. :)
5. Dukt
http://www.flashadvocate.com/images/dukt.jpg
Time is money for alot of people, especially designers. And for those that still use hourly wage as a primary means of estimation of income, keeping track of that time is invaluable. Dukt promises to be the savior of that dire need. It offers an intuitive yet refined style of organization that allows you to track multiple projects over varied timelines. Need to charge multiple projects with different wage setups? No problem. This application is going to be a keeper when it releases. Be sure to join the mailing list so you can be notified of when it becomes available. Until then, you can use...
6. Timeloc
http://www.flashadvocate.com/images/timeloc.png
Rad3 brings us a nifty little widget that does exactly what it professes. A no nonsense interface that tracks 2 key items of interest: how much time has elapsed, (and more importantly) how much moolah you've stacked up. The only drawback to this application is that it is unforgivably difficult to track more than one thing at a time. Other than that downfall, this widget does a darn good job of making itself useful on my desktop. Along with the pretty UI, it features sound notification that can be disabled that alerts you when the billing increment has been reached, and the earned meter increases. Definitely a useful application.
7. Kuler
http://www.flashadvocate.com/images/kuler.jpg
It's basically a cooler color cooler. It's kuler! I'm sure everyone has heard of the revolutionary technology offered by adobe that gives you a unique power over one of the most important and vital aspects of design; the color palette. This nifty little app brings the control to you on your very own desktop. So no more logging into kuler.adobe to check out what's all the rage or to compare color palettes against the "scientific" color theory. Now you have all that at your fingertips to embellish. Use this to make sure all your work has that unmistakable air of class, knowing your colors match. :)
8. Bamboo Dock
http://www.flashadvocate.com/images/bamboodock.jpg
I use my bamboo fun tablet religiously, and as a result I jump at the chance to use it more and more. This mindblowing application does just that. And what better way to bring all of these awesome applications together? If you're the type of person who fancies using the stylus instead of the mouse, this is an application you will enjoy. For those that don't currently own tablets, this application is still pretty kick-ass. Sliding menus that open with a scribble of your stylus, scrolling as smooth as can be. Not to mention the nifty little gadgets it provides as a courtesy like "the scribbler" and "mona lisa" for those moments of designer block. You also have the option of downloading some choice games like "free the bird" and "zzing" that use this specific technology to their advantage. If you want to make it even more useful, you can add shortcuts to your favorite programs. I find myself playing with the interface just for the fun of it. Definitely worth a checkout!
So there you have it, 8 applications that make my time more valuable and certainly more well-spent. I want to thank the authors that made these widgets available, and I hope to be able to come up with 8 more fantastic additions to an already streamlined desktop cluttered with organizational (oxymoron eh?) knickknacks.
Have a day!
