Posts Tagged
Design
Many iPhone apps take their design cues from the status quo; Apple began the iPhone’s life with a light blue, left-to-right application style and many apps still follow a similar pattern. Even if they’re crafted of the finest skeuomorphic Corinthian leather, they’re still just another take on the same old design paradigm.
Then there are the apps that do something special. The applications that throw their hands up and say, “I’m going to be different!” Here are a few of them, and what app designers can learn from each one. (more…)
The immensely popular invite-only design network known as Dribbble has become a topic of discussion. Designers from all over the world are joining and sharing some very creative works. Submissions include mobile UI design, web layouts, logos, illustrations, along with a handful of other talents.
Shotz is the most recent Dribbble client I’ve been playing with. It features a pixel-perfect layout for the standard iPhone and retina display. You can check out recent Dribbble shots, popular submissions and even access data from your own Dribbble account. It’s the perfect app for any digital artist.
Having good taste can be expensive. Cost and quality rise at the same rate, and the old adage of “you get what you pay for” remains true. It’s easy to settle for sub-par based on our budgets, but what if you could get some well-designed, quality goods for less than their usual cost?
That’s where Fab comes in. Fab is an invitation-only store that offers discounts on designer items, from custom furnaces and shirts to lamps and chairs and everything in between. They recently released their own iPhone application, and we have the full review.
I’m used to reviewing apps. I’ve reviewed quite a few over the past months, and I plan on reviewing many more. I purchase each application that I end up reviewing (as well as many others), so I spend a lot of time in the App Store.
Using the App Store has been more painful than I would first imagine. If you only use it every once in a blue moon I’m sure that it’s fine, but for someone like myself, Apple’s marketplace is sorely lacking. Today I want to look at what the App Store could improve upon in order to create a compelling, enjoyable experience.
Whether you are renovating, buying a new home or just redecorating, it is not uncommon to spend dozens, if not hundreds of hours poring over shelter magazines, books, websites and blogs. Not only is interior/exterior design information and photos scattered (and oftentimes costly), it can be utterly overwhelming.
Houzz, which is touted as the “Wikipedia of interior and exterior design” by CNN, consolidates everything from finding home improvement professionals in your area to gathering inspiration into Ideabooks, all in just one app.
And that’s not the half of it. Learn more after the jump.
There’s no doubt that the iPhone serves as a general-purpose tool, allowing you to customize it to the way that you like it by adding different apps for different purposes. There are two different kinds of apps: those that do one thing well, and those that try to do many different things within one application.
Is one way better than the other? That’s what I would like to explore with you today.
Web designers and digital illustrators are growing in numbers around the planet. And now with websites and mobile apps in heavy demand, it’s common to see so many new social networks focused on design rising into power. Website Dribbble is a product out of Salem, Mass. and features some very outstanding portfolios.
Each person is able to share a shot of their most recent works. These could be logos, icons, illustrations, signup forms, or anything digital and pretty. With Dunk, you’ll be able to browse the latest Dribbble shots from anywhere with your iPhone or iPod Touch. But before we get too into too much detail, let’s look at some of the application features after the jump.
It’s the big day, and soon you’ll be moving into a new house. It’s got more square footage, a mammoth master bathroom and more storage than you can use. But before you move into that sweet new pad, you’ve got to figure out where your furniture is going to fit, and how. Going around the place and making a floor plan with a tape measure and a pad of paper is tedious though. If only there was a better option.
And yes, there is. Well, that’s what MagicPlan is here for, anyways. Using just your iPhone’s camera, you can map out your entire place, and create a final floor plan, all in the palm of your hand. But is it any good? Let’s take a few minutes and find out, shall we?
Web design is a big profession, but some iPhone owners might not have the skills to develop nor the budget to hire a designer. Luckily, blogging platforms such as WordPress and Tumblr come with their own collections of themes for your free use. Theme design is a big business too and they have become very functional due to the massive number of features available in platforms like WordPress.
However, all those additional functions come with an added complexity and that might not be suited to everyone’s tastes. Maybe you just want to setup a quick blog to share some photos from your trip, or perhaps you just wanted to post links to some interesting articles you’ve found on your ventures around the internet.
Zapd might be the perfect solution! Zapd is a very simple website builder based entirely within a iPhone application. If you like Tumblr, you might just love Zapd.
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Certain categories in the App Store stand out not only for their functionality but for the beautiful design trends that you tend to see within them. Custom ringtone apps are definitely just such a category and several of these apps have absolutely gorgeous interfaces.
Though there are tons and tons of ringtone makers available, today we’re focusing only on the top tier of attractively-designed applications. Each of these apps comes in at less than a buck and all offer their own spin on giving you the ability to build custom ringtones from the music on your phone or even audio that you record yourself.
