Free Ipad App For Graphic Design Portfolio
9 Apps I Use to Run My Graphic Design Business
Ever since I purchased my iPad Pro a year ago, I have found myself opening my laptop less and less lately. Although I do use my Macbook Pro for larger branding and publication projects, I have realized that my iPad can satisfy almost all of my daily needs when it comes to running my business.
Over the past year I have been using a handful of apps that make running a freelance graphic design business so much more seamless. From software, to photo editing, to storage — this blog will show you 9 of my favourite apps that I use on a day-to-day basis (in no particular order).
01. Procreate
$13.99 CAD
I had to start off with my favourite app which is hands down Procreate. I practically use this app every single day, and that's mainly due to the fact that it is so easy to use and get setup with!
Procreate is an illustration app that combines familiar intuitive features with a user friendly UI. The limits are practically endless as to what you can do in the app, although my only gripe is that it doesn't support vector format. Nonetheless, I use procreate for practically all of my illustration and hand lettering pieces.
Combined with my Apple Pencil, the native brushes that come with the app are more than enough to get you started when it comes to illustrating. They have over 200 hand crafted brushes that will allow you achieve unique textures and eye catching effects in your creations.
As I mentioned, although the app doesn't support vector format, it serves as a great tool to draw up an initial sketch with and then transfer that sketch over into Illustrator where you can start building your vectorized art.
02. Facebook Business Suite
FREE
If you run social media accounts for your business on both Instagram and Facebook, then Facebook Business Suite (formerly Pages) is the perfect app to manage all of your content from one platform.
I use this app to:
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Create, schedule and manage posts from a single app, so that I can engage more of my audience at once
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View and manage messages, inquiries, comments and other activity from both platforms
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Access insights about my audience, which lets me know what type of content is performing well compared to others
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Create and manage ads for both platforms all from one place
03. Files
FREE (iOS devices only)
The iOS Files app allows me to quickly access and organize my files no matter where they're located — on my Macbook, in the cloud, on an external drive or file server. This saves me the hassle of having to either email or Airdrop files that I'm working on from my Mac, to my iPhone or iPad.
I use this app to:
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Transfer social media assets between devices
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Access PDF's stored on my computer
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Pin my favourite folders in Browse view for quick access
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Give clients access to any file stored in iCloud Drive by sharing a link from the Files app
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Drag and drop files and organize them into folders
04. Google My Business
FREE
I use the My Business app by Google to manage my business profile in Google search. Not everyone uses social media regularly, so it's important that I capture possible leads from people searching for businesses just like mine.
I use this app to:
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Make edits to my business profile from my iPhone or iPad and see those changes online on Google in real time
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Easily add special hours, my website, and phone number to keep my profile up-to-date
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Respond to reviews, message my clients, and see my followers
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Upload photos and add services to attract customers who are searching for businesses like mine
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See insights on how my clients find and engage with my business online on Google search
05. Adobe Illustrator
$27.99 CAD/mo (there is no additional cost for the app if you're currently using Adobe Illustrator as a Creative Cloud member)
Adobe Illustrator is probably one of my most frequently used Adobe apps on my computer, so when I found out that they had released a version for iPad this past year I had to try it out!
Illustrator is a vector-based software that has been reimagined for the iPad. You can use the app to create logos, icons, illustrations, and graphics with a design toolkit that includes type, gradients, shape-building, and precise vector editing tools.
The best part is that anything you create on your iPad can easily be opened on your computer using Adobe Creative Cloud. I typically use the iPad version of the Illustrator app to vectorize lettering illustrations that I have started in Procreate. I'll use my sketch as an outline for my anchor points, and can easily plot them using the Illustrator app. After I get my basic forms down, I'll open up the Illustrator file on my computer to touch up any anchor points and refine the piece.
06. Squarespace
Starting at $16 USD/mo
A very important part of running a graphic design business is having an online portfolio where potential clients can view your recent projects and learn more about you. Although there are a variety of website hosting services out there, I have always used Squarespace because of how easy their UI is to use and the variety of different integrations that are compatible with the platform.
I am constantly updating my website as it has grown beyond just being a portfolio for me, so that's where the Squarespace mobile app comes in handy and saves me from having to haul my computer around everywhere.
I use this app to:
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View my analytics and website traffic
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Quickly make edits to existing pages and create new ones
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Write and publish new blogs
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Keep my portfolio up-to-date
07. Pinterest
FREE
Now anyone who isn't familiar with Pinterest … have you been living under a rock?! Whenever I start a new project — whether it is a brand design or custom illustration — I always look to Pinterest to gather inspiration and build beautiful moodboard's for my clients.
The Pinterest app allows you to find inspiration on-the-go, with over 100 billion new ideas to explore. I create boards for different projects and filter my Pins into their relevant categories, creating archives that I can reference anytime I need to.
I use this app to:
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Build moodboard's for clients
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Find inspiration for logos, illustration, lettering, branding and so much more
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Build colour palettes and find templates for things like contracts, invoices, estimates, etc.
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Post content of my own to my profile to help grow my audience
08. Google Drive
FREE
Google Drive is probably one of the most important apps I use to run my graphic design business. From easily sharing files with clients, to keeping track of timesheets and workflows — this storage powerhouse has been a lifesaver.
The screenshot above does look a bit bare — as I have confidential files within my drive — but the app is free to download, and there are endless tutorials that you can find to get yourself started.
I use this app to:
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Share final files with clients — I'll create a new folder for each client project I start, and will add all final/relevant assets to that folder so that I can easily manage who they are shared with, and what type of access that person has
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Keep track of my various services, rates and packages (Google Sheets)
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Track time spent on certain projects (Google Sheets)
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Keep a roster of all my existing clients and their contact information (Google Sheets)
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Document my workflows for the various services I offer, so that I can reference these and use them as a starting point for every project (Google Sheets + Google Docs)
09. VSCO
$19.99 USD/yr
VSCO is a photo and video editing app that I use to unify my media for social platforms. You can easily import and edit your RAW photos, use editing tools like Contrast and Saturation to make your photos pop or use Grain and Fade to add texture and mimic analog film effects. Adjust or play around with your photo perspectives with Crop and Skew. Save and recreate your favourite edits with Recipes.
There is a free version of the app, although it is limited to only 10 presets, whereas the paid version gets you access to over 200. I would loosely compare this app to Adobe Lightroom, although I will say that Lightroom gives you a lot more editing capabilities. Nonetheless, this app is great for editing photos on-the-go and can help unify your feed.
And that's all! I hope you find some use out of the recommendations I've shared. Although these aren't all the apps that I use, they are definitely some of my favourites and ones that I turn to most often. If you have any questions or other recommendations, please feel free to leave them in the comments.
Business
small business, Graphic Design, ipad pro, design apps, procreate, facebook business suite, adobe illustrator, squarespace, pinterest, google drive, Freelance Graphic Design, Graphic Design Tools
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Free Ipad App For Graphic Design Portfolio
Source: https://matthewbrownoff.com/blog/2021/2/27/9-apps-i-use-to-run-my-graphic-design-business
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