This is my Weekly Design Inspiration, this is a space where I share some design work that has either inspired me or caught my attention for its execution or concept. The things I feature on here can include (but not limited to) branding, web design, app design, illustration, typography, video games or anything that shows creativity in a unique way.
Ever since I’ve had smartphones I have never had a flagship or high end handset. I’ve typically gone for mid-range (normally Sony) phones in the past. But recently I decided to upgrade and get a more high end phone and got the iPhone X. Anyone that knows me knows that I’ve never been too fond of iPhones but due to circumstances it ended up being the only viable option and to be honest I’m pretty pleased with it. Anyway, the point of bringing this up is that this phone has allowed me to get more out of a handheld device for creativity, productivity and entertainment. So with that in mind I wanted to cover some of them in this blog post.
Creativity
In the past I figured the best form of portable creative applications were restricted to a laptop or MacBook. In recent years more creative apps have been developed to take advantage of the power of portable products like phones and tablets. These apps may not be able to replace that of desktop applications such as Photoshop and Illustrator but they are a handy tool if you’re out and about and fancy getting a bit creative.
Adobe Draw
This app is aimed at creatives wanting to create crisp clean illustrations on the go. With a simple, tidy UI Adobe Draw allows creators to quickly sketch ideas or refine full illustrations given enough time and patience. This app is most well suited for larger devices such as an iPad and using an Apple Pencil but does allow for users to use a finger if they are steady and don’t mind a bit of a rough and ready look to their illustrations.
Adobe Sketch
Sketch is similar to that of Draw but has more of an organic and painterly look to it. It has all the same qualities of Draw and adds a level of texture. It’s especially satisfying to use the watercolour effects and see the tones blend together in real time. This app allows for much more loose and traditional looking illustrations. I’d love to give this a go on an iPad using an Apple Pencil and see the types of thing I could produce.
Polarr
Polarr is an image editing app with a surprising amount of features. It has all of the obvious photo editing things like brightness, contrast, colour etc but it also has nifty features like being able to select a focus area and blur the background. For an on the go editing app, that has a bit more flexibility than what Instagram has to offer, it’s pretty good and worth trying out.
Gaming
Elder Scrolls Blades
This mobile installment of the long running Elder Scrolls series takes a different approach due to the technical limitations of the platform. It functions as more of a dungeon crawler with a touch of town building. It has a focus on combat, levelling up, skill trees and other elements you would expect from an RPG but with no free roam or open world.
Blades is a beautiful looking game with decent action. Be it not for the pay-to-win feeling that most free-to-play games, including Blades, it would be an excellent take on the genre. It’s definitely worth a go but be prepared to either spend a little money or spend a lot of time.
OCO
This is a simple arcade game that finds the player navigating a small box around a bunch of obstacles surrounding a circle. It is very minimalist, and easy to grasp, it also has a steady learning curve by introducing new obstacles and features slowly as you go through the stages. Each stage has a sort of theme based around a particular feature.
This is a really pleasing game that isn’t too demanding, a great one just for passing time.
Honorable Mentions
As part of my Weekly Design Inspiration I also like to share some bits and pieces that I have seen which have inspired me in the last week. I have captioned each image with some info and relevant links so you can find out more.
Someone showed me a poster they saw on the London Underground for this brand and they were completely perplexed as to what it was for, so much so that they ended up looking it up. I think that is an awesome way of marketing, creating curiosity in your audience so that they will come to you. Also their products and designs are pretty pleasing too.
As part of the release of the new Hellboy movie there is a B.P.R.D (Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defence) website that gives fans a chance to dive a little deeper into the lore of the universe. It's a beautiful site that looks like a top secret achieve and uses awesome transitions and animations as you explore the files. Shame about the movie though...
Comments