15 Must Have Tools and Resources of A Modern Web Designer
The web designers don’t have enough time to meditate about their working methods, but nowadays in this industry there is a fine and important shift producing itself. The designer isn’t any longer an exclusive creator of UI items, he is mostly an integrator. Nowadays, there is a new “industrial revolution” in web design industry – the websites are created faster and better. The modern web designer has a large pool of solutions to create websites; the real problem is that a single person doesn’t have the physical time to test all these, or at least the majority of them.
Fortunately, we tried our best to make up a list of must have tools and resources for a modern web designer. It’s obvious that we might have missed adding your favourite tool, but we will take into account your suggestions and we will create a new post. Anyway, you should check out our list. There is no doubt that these tools will make your life easier!
Frameworks
Twitter Bootstrap is probably the most famous front-end framework. It’s not famous just because it was released by Twitter, but Bootstrap is really a powerful and efficient tool. The documentation is golden. Practically, there is no uncovered aspect so you may use it without any concerns. The Twitter Bootstrap websites are all responsive and good looking; in conclusion, you have plenty of reasons to take this framework seriously.
It’s another framework that shouldn’t be missing from the arsenal of a modern web designer. HTML5 Boilerplate is specially crafted to allow the creation of the basic structure of a modern website. Definitely, by using this framework the website creation process will be faster and the final results way better.
#3. Foundation
Foundation is another must have framework. Its creators emphasize the fact that Foundation is the perfect tool to create responsive and modern online presences. If we consider the huge brands that used Foundation (National Geographic, The Washington Post) and the opinions of the design community, then Foundation fully deserves its place into this list.
Wireframing
#4. Frame Box
Wireframing is a very common activity for any web designer and in this case any tool that simplifies or makes the process better is welcomed. Framebox is a very reliable tool and it has some important advantages that made tons of designers use it. Framebox is simple, it works in your browser, it offers a large palette of options and it’s free- pretty convincing, isn’t it?
#5. Cacoo
Cacoo isn’t a totally free application, but there are options where an individual may use it for free. It’s an indispensable tool for a web designer. I guess that it’s useless to describe it. Therefore, you should visit it yourself and play around for some minutes. Warning: you may become addicted to it!
Colors and types
#6. COLOURlovers
Colors may enhance or ruin a website. Instead of making assumptions that may be wrong, a modern and wise web designer will prefer the services of Color Lovers, a great help in choosing the best colors into your design. Here are tons of impressive color schemes and many other resources that will help you master the colors.
#7. Glyphr Studio
The Internet is full of lovely fonts, but I believe that the designers will never be 100% satisfied by a font. Glyphrstudio is a great tool that helps the designers to adjust the font’s characters or to simply create a new outstanding font. Usually, the software to create fonts is expensive and complex, but this one is simple and free!
Time management
#8. Toggl
A time management application is a worthless tool according to some web designers. Altogether, the majority of them have a better opinion about it and a part of them really use such an application. A time management tool is extremely useful because the user has full control over his / her working time. Toggl is one of these tools and I believe that it has the potential to make everyone more active.
#9. Timely
If you aren’t satisfied with the previous applications, then you have to consider Timely app. Its design is attractive and the interface is simple and efficient. Just like in the case of Toogl, there are various pricing plans, but for a single individual there is no fee to pay.
Freebies collection
#10. Pixeden
The best solution to attract a web designer is to offer him design freebies. Pixeden is a place where various types of freebies are offered and as a result this website must be bookmarked by any designer. Another Pixeden plus is the diversity of the freebies, you will find here a great range of product from flyer templates to the latest mobile apps layouts.
#11. OmahPSD
OmahPSD is a relatively young resource for web designers, but in spite of that it offers countless of psd files, from which they could learn the latest design techniques. We may be subjective; therefore we are waiting for your objective feedback. What do you think is good or bad regarding OmahPSD? We believe that you should stay in touch with us because as soon as possible we will delight you with some amazing surprises!
Informational resources
#12. Designers List
No matter how much the technology evolves, the information remains the most precious tool. Searching for the best information is a time consuming activity and this fact determined us to insert Designers List here. This is an aggregator where interesting blogs, good sources of education or website galleries are presented.
#13. iBrandStudio
iBrandStudio is a great blog that contains very interesting articles, useful tutorials and inspiring showcases. It must be checked daily because it will become your favourite resource that will keep you updated with the latest design news.
#14. lynda.com
Lynda is a great resource that should be used by web designers. It is a great collection of video courses that cover a large pallet, from 3D animation to photography. A designer must pay a monthly fee to access the gallery, but the money invested are immediately amortised due to the high quality of the information presented.
Entrepreneurship
#15. Google Ventures
We are living in a world where the entrepreneurial spirit seems to be more and more appreciated. Even if at the moment you are content with your job, maybe in the future you will want more. Google Ventures is a great resource where you could get professional advice from entrepreneurs. It’s not fully related to web design, but it surely is an interesting resource for a modern web designer.
Conclusion
It will be a great satisfaction to know that some of the readers will start using the tools and resources from this list. Please let me know which is your favourite item mentioned here and don’t forget that you are welcomed to bring your own contribution.
– Written by Daniel –