iPhone’s full HD retina is the perfect canvas for creating enchanting designs. With these 15 free iOS design apps, you can easily expand your portfolio on the go.
15 Free iPhone Apps for Graphic Design and Visual Prototyping
Paper
- Developed by: FiftyThree, Inc
- Category: Productivity
- Price: Free
Paper is not your typical productivity app. It has a complex functionality range that combines note creation with intuitive sketching. And this is what makes it so unique. The team’s original iPad app took the honorable award of Apple’s App of the Year and there’s no doubt they will continue to grow this little gem.
Adobe Illustrator Draw
- Developer: Adobe
- Category: Productivity
- Price: Free (in-app purchases)
Take a piece of Adobe’s illustration software anywhere you go. This iPhone design app has all the features you can see in Adobe Ideas and provides all the drawing tools, layer management options, and file integration abilities you could wish for. Now, when the muse strikes, you can quickly sketch and export your artwork, no matter if you’re on the bus or even out camping.
Photoshop Express Photo Editor
- Developer: Adobe
- Category: Photo
- Price: Free (in-app purchases)
You can now pack your pocket-sized Photoshop and edit photos right on your mobile device. While the app’s functionality can’t be compared to the complex design abilities of Photoshop on desktop, it offers a handful of great photo-editing tools like filters, quick editing, and adjustment settings.
Fontli
- Developer: Pramati Technologies
- Category: Social Networking
- Price: Free
If you’re craving social interaction with other typography enthusiasts like yourself, I have some good news. Fontli is the ultimate social network for font lovers that will allow you to collect and share your muses of inspiration with the rest of the world. Download this on your iPhone and you’ll never have to see Comic Sans again.
FontCandy
- Developed by: Easy Tiger Apps, LLC.
- Category: Photo & Video
- Price: Free (in-app purchases)
Want to spice up your photos with a cool quote? Simply snap a photo or upload one from your phone, crop, resize your artwork, and add your text.
Font Candy is the free iPhone go-to app for typography design. Users can choose from a large number of Saying templates and create a custom one. This iPhone app is ideal for album and book cover design. It provides simplified sharing options to the most popular social media outlets.
Marvel
- Developer: Marvel Prototyping LTD
- Category: Productivity
- Price: Free
Let’s take a few moments and just marvel at the pure glory of this app for a second.
Aside from just being the awesome app that it is, Marvel for iPhone is also absolutely free. Downloading Marvel won’t cost you a dime and it’s so unbelievably easy to use. Just snap your prototype designs from your sketchbook, draw directly on the screen, and add mockups from Dropbox or Adobe CC, link your ideas and get them ready for sharing. The app syncs everything with your web account at Marvel App so you’ll always have access to your design prototypes.
Autodesk SketchBook
- Developed by: Autodesk Inc.
- Category: Design and Color
- Price: Free
Got your creative juices flowing and can’t wait to draw them out? Autodesk SketchBook allows users to sketch their creative ideas on the go, thanks to its handy iPhone app. You can start your concept sketches here and finish it to a full-fledged artwork. The app features amazing sketching tools that can help your ideas come to life.
Create
- Developed by: Anything is
- Category: Photo & Video
- Price: Free (in-app purchases)
The only limit for designing that you’ll encounter with Create is your screen size. This feature-packed iPhone app provides a great creative arsenal of tools. Play with layers, typography, icons, and shapes. Build logos from scratch and even let your kid exercise his or her artistic skills. Create won’t be the best choice for a complete project development but it’s a wonderful tool for digitalising your ideas.
Assembly
- Developed by: Pixite Inc.
- Category: Design and Color
- Price: Free
Adobe Illustrator Draw isn’t the only vector design app for iPhone. Assembly will allow you to enjoy the creative process of vector illustration from the comfort of your phone. Use this iPhone app to draw your ideas on the go and then assemble the exported files on your computer. This app allows exporting in JPG / PNG for raster images and SVG / PDF for vector files.
Canva
- Developed by: Canva
- Category: Design and Color
- Price: Free
Bring your design A-game to the next level with the web’s most loved design app. Canva is now also available for iPhone and iPad, which means you can take your designs with you wherever you go. Canva’s iPhone app provides a lot of options for designing that will help your creative ideas come to fruition.
Retrospecs
- Developed by: John Parker
- Category: Photo & Video
- Price: Free (in-app purchases)
If you’re a fan of retro looks, Retrospecs might interest you. This app converts your normal photos into retro or pixel art. It can even work with video clips to make your images appear vintage. So, if you’re aiming for that 70’s, 80’s, or 90’s look, this app can definitely help you with that.
Tayasui Sketches
- Developed by: Tayasui.com
- Category: Design and Color
- Price: Free (in-app purchases)
Tayasui Sketches is the perfect app for people who have a passion for drawing. Now, you don’t have to bring your sketchbook with you, as this app can store your sketches while you’re out and about. It has a user-friendly interface too, so you won’t have a problem navigating this app.
Adobe Photoshop Sketch
- Developed by: Adobe Inc.
- Category: Design and Color
- Price: Free (in-app purchases)
Another sketching app worth checking out is the Adobe Photoshop Sketch. Just from the developer itself, you already know that this app can take your sketches to a whole new level. From pens and pencils to watercolors, this app can make your illustrations look and feel real.
PANTONE Studio
- Developed by: Pantone
- Category: Design and Color
- Price: Free (in-app purchases)
Pantone is known as the best resource when it comes to distinguishing colors. Thankfully, they launched an app called PANTONE Studio where users can not only find references for different hues, but also create color palettes. Once you’ve built your palettes, you can also share them with friends and clients outside the app.
DesignLab
- Developed by: MuseWorks, Inc.
- Category: Design and Color
- Price: Free (in-app purchases)
DesignLab makes creating amazing designs and graphics look so easy. Add the fact that this app allows you to work on your designs on the go, DesignLab is a must for graphic designers who need to work while they’re out and about. Plus, it’s incredibly easy to use, too.
