Top 10 free iPhone apps every designer must have

The iPhone is such a great productivity tool, but there are so many apps, it’s hard to know which ones to choose. Here is a list of ones I use all the time. They’re a great help if you’re a designer, and best of all, they’re free!What follows is a list of my favourite free apps for the iPhone. As a graphic designer, they make life easier, more fun and generally shinier! Please let me know if there are any free iPhone apps you find invaluable as a designer.

1. WhatTheFont

What an amazing little application. It can help solve an everyday design problem—you see a font you like and can’t identify it. Snap a pic with your iPhone, upload it to WhatTheFont, and providing the image quality is good, it will do a pretty solid job of identifying it for you. Nice.

2. Cool Iris

Not only is this a free app for your iPhone, you can also install it in your web browser. It speeds up image processing when you’re browsing images or videos on the web, not to mention the cool “image wall” interface. A must have.

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3. Bill4Time mobile

If you’re billing for hours, as most designers do, Bill4Time is a great little app that tracks your time spent on various jobs. Enter time and expenses while away from your PC. There is no need to “sync” the device as all entries are wirelessly uploaded. You’ll have to sign up for a free Bill4Time account online, but well worth it.

4. TED

If you haven’t seen a TED talk, you’re missing out. Some of the world’s most interesting people speak at the TED forums and this handy little app lets you view all the videos of the talks for free. They get updated with new ones every few days.

5. Wordpress

How can you live without access to your Wordpress blog while on the run? Update your site whenever suits you.

6. From a Twisted Mind

Sure, this app won’t increase your productivity, but they’re pretty cool illustrations. Just right for a bit of light relief and inspiration. Episode 2 is as yet unavailable on the app store, but 1 and 3 are.

7. Dictionaire

Essential for every graphic designer. If you publish work with spelling mistakes, it reflects badly on you as a designer, even if they’re someone else’s fault. Use a spellchecker and use a dictionary!

8. Evernote

Almost a classic in the world of iPhone apps. Take notes in whatever form you find most comfortable. Use text, photo or audio notes to help you remember and recall anything of interest that happens during your day.

9. SimpleMind Xpress Mind Maps

A great visual aid if you’re tapping your creativity, brainstorming and mindmapping. Collect ideas and structure your thoughts visually, reorganize them and reformat them.

10. Twitterfon

Make Twitter posts while on the go, but more importantly, check-in with your Twitter feed and see what others are inspired by. You never know when someone might post a new link to a site when you’re desperately in need of inspiration.

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