(Newswire.net — September 19, 2014) Klaipeda, NA —
Thankfully, technology is providing tools to give designers more options from which to choose and make decisions. These eight applications provide free or inexpensive ways to give every designer an edge.
- 1. Contextool. This app gives designers the ability to research and design stuff as an analyst. It works well with other apps like the Color Toy. It lets the designer see the design in context by analyzing the environment and suggesting the use of colors that are contrasting and least popular, thereby making them standout. Available on Google Play and the web. Free on Android with fewer features; 6 Euros for the Web app.
- 2. Color Schemer. The designer has the choice of over a million different color palettes. That’s right – a million. It takes real world colors and lets the designer apply them to designs. And if the designer uses COLORlovers website, this app allows synchronization with his or her smart phone. Available on Apple for the iPad and iPhone.
- 3. Daltonizer. Work looks different depending on the many types of demographics. Those with less than perfect vision see things differently than those with great vision. This app gives the designer an idea of how people with varying degrees of sight, even those afflicted with color blindness, will see the work. It allows the designer to check against three different types of color blindness and compare them side by side in full color. Available on Android devices for free.
- 4. Visualator. Built in its entirety in Flash CS5 to showcase what’s possible with the platform, Visualator allows the designer to create striking abstract imagery. All it takes is your fingertips, some imagination and the two innovative features offered here: Gradulate and Triangulate. Available on Apple for free.
- 5. Adobe Kular. The unique feature of this app is that you can generate themes based on pictures taken on your iPhone. It captures five colors out of the picture and creates a “swatch”. The designer can tweak it, save it and sent it to other Adobe tools. Options to tweak the swatch include RGB sliders, preset color modes and a color wheel among others. Available on Apple for free.
- 6. myPANTONE. Pantone is the unparalleled king of color. This app from them gives the designer nearly 14,000 colors from their Pantone Plus series in a digital swatch book. Colors can be matched from photos to create harmonious color palettes. They can then be shared or synched to other design tools. Available on Apple and Android, $8.13 on each.
- 7. What The Font. This app links to the global library of MyFonts. Taking a snapshot on the designer’s phone, the app attempts to identify the font and then link it up to ways the designer can obtain it. Free on Apple and Android.
- 8. ColorToy. For the designer who frequently works with color schemes, this app cannot be beat. It works for graphic design, illustration or web design. Choose a key color and it will create contemporary shades. The designer can pick out a color from a photograph and add it or turn favorite colors and pallettes into schemes and swatchbooks for later use. Available on Apple for the iPhone; $2.99.
Successful designers take advantage of all the tools available to them and use what fits their work and vision best. Using applications such as these are a good start.