In a previous post we talked a bit about some of the Web and desktop applications we use that are slightly outside of the norm. However, once we finished off the last sentence, we didn’t quite feel done with the concept. In fact, after thinking about the situation for a while, we found an entire slew of other resources we use on a daily basis. If you’re looking for a few convenient ways to enhance your graphic design workflow or become more efficient as a graphic designer, just stick around: We’ll be labeling a few of our best apps, as well as how we use them. Starting with:

  1. Evernote: We produce a lot of written content during any given week. This might be as simple as a project scope, or it could be as complicated as a bill summary for the end of a pay period. Either way, we like to keep a record of all these items, one that’s kept off our local hard drive and somewhere else in the cloud. Evernote is like DropBox with a streamlined face and performance. We simply add our notes to specific notebooks, and then away they go, syncing automatically to the Evernote servers. We couldn’t perform without this elephant-studded app, and if you’re not using it, we highly suggest you give it some thought.
  2. Google Chrome: Okay, so this one may be semi-obvious, but we’re going to mention it anyway. Google Chrome is, in our opinion, one of the best browsers out there, if not the best. It has the most consistent rendering times and accuracy, and it also comes with an open-source design that we’re free to tweak. Not to mention the vast number of plugins that are currently available for the browser. With every web design we create, we make sure to try it out in Chrome before sending it elsewhere. We’ve had the best results with Chrome, and we won’t be using anything else for the time being.
  3. Sparrow: This is an eMail client for Mac OS X, and if you’re not using it, we strongly suggest you do. The client is sleek, easy to master, and above all else, capable of supporting the massive number of email accounts we deal with on a daily basis. It’s incredibly simplistic, and the minimalistic design will please any designer, guaranteed.