FontBook iPad app

FontBook, the world’s most comprehensive typographical reference guide, is now available on iPad. 

Browsing fonts is always a bit of a nightmare, do you browse by foundry, style, keyword…? When I’m searching for a font I normally end up with hundreds of tabs open and I start to loose track of why I’ve gone done certain paths. So I love the way you navigate through the different foundries and faces in this app. Zooming in and out from across different grids representing different levels of categorisation. It keeps everything linear but allows for tangental discovery. 

I also love the compare feature which lets you stack different fonts up against each other, customise the sample by changing copy and colour and then share it to your social networks to get your peers’ feedback.

I can see this being expanded with extra browsing methods like font family trees, timelines etc to make font discovery educational.

All in thumbs up and thanks for the find goes to nickmulley

Plic, Ploc, Wiz

I’ve seen apps and sites with this ‘sticker’ based art concept before but I really love the illustration and art-direction in this one. Cute, fun and easy for kids to assemble into whatever creatures they can conjure up.

The share by email feature is nice but I can’t help but think this would be better as an instagram style feed that family and friends can browse.

Would also be sweet if they released packs of new ‘stickers’ that keep the app fresh and exciting for kids (and adults) to play with.

Solid retro styling in this free guide app for Pitchfork Festival. It’s got some really nice detailing on icons and interface and is clean and simple to follow. Its powered by the Diacarta app which is pretty cool in its own right but this app is just that bit more stylish in my opinion. Available on the iPhone app store.
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Solid retro styling in this free guide app for Pitchfork Festival. It’s got some really nice detailing on icons and interface and is clean and simple to follow.

Its powered by the Diacarta app which is pretty cool in its own right but this app is just that bit more stylish in my opinion.

Available on the iPhone app store.

Cute little type app that helps you choose font’s by manipulating parameters with swipes and touches. Tools like this are always good when you find yourself at a loss as to what to choose for a project.

Squeal is a peculiar noise generation app, a little like a theramin. The twist… manipulate portraits to generate the different sounds. There are some famous faces and you can even submit your own picture to be implemented. 

I really like the portraits and find this experimental point to app creation really interesting. It’s great to start seeing apps as an artistic medium.

Great retro styling on this iPad app.  Pennant lets you browse the history of baseball from 1952 to 2010 using a really stylish interface.

Love all the elements. The timeline is simple. The map looks great. Maybe the cover-flow cards could do a bit more to differentiate each statistic but its a great app overall. Very consistent.

They just won an award in 2011 Apple Design Awards. Good work guys.

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OmmWriter is a simple text processor that firmly believes in making writing a pleasure once again, vindicating the close relationship between writer and paper. The more intimate the relation, the smoother the flow of inspiration. I have had a go at the desktop version. It’s a very simple writing app which creates an ambient soundscape while you type. Very soothing and it really helps you concentrate.  I have a copywriter friend who swears by it.  I don’t really like writing on touch devices as I miss the tactile feedback of a keyboard, so I’ll be interested to see what this is like to use. The keyboard design looks sumptuous. 
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OmmWriter is a simple text processor that firmly believes in making writing a pleasure once again, vindicating the close relationship between writer and paper. The more intimate the relation, the smoother the flow of inspiration.

I have had a go at the desktop version. It’s a very simple writing app which creates an ambient soundscape while you type. Very soothing and it really helps you concentrate.  I have a copywriter friend who swears by it. 

I don’t really like writing on touch devices as I miss the tactile feedback of a keyboard, so I’ll be interested to see what this is like to use. The keyboard design looks sumptuous. 

“Readable” - the world’s first web page scroller with face detection. Put Readable down, or look away, and scrolling pauses automatically. Pick Readable back up, and scrolling resumes! Interesting concept, I think I would find it pretty hard to get used to. It will also need to be implemented perfectly to prevent frustration. I’d like a demo or free trial to see if I like consuming content this way. 
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“Readable” - the world’s first web page scroller with face detection. Put Readable down, or look away, and scrolling pauses automatically. Pick Readable back up, and scrolling resumes!

Interesting concept, I think I would find it pretty hard to get used to. It will also need to be implemented perfectly to prevent frustration. I’d like a demo or free trial to see if I like consuming content this way. 

Totally agree with Dan here. There is a much better concept and execution for this Topshop instagram team up. Read more below. fuelforthoughts: Topshop - Wish you were at Topshop Sorry Nike, you made the baffling choice of partnering with the increasingly uncool Hipstamatic earlier this month. Topshop though, made the correct choice and have chosen Instagram as their in-store retro photobooth. For their new campaign ‘wish you were at Topshop’, shoppers are treated to a complimentary styling and make-up session, followed by their very own photoshoot. They can choose the instagram filters for each photo, then upload the creations directly to Topshop’s Facebook gallery and their own profiles, as well as having them printed as postcards. All participants that ‘like’ the brand on FB are also entered into a draw for a £1000 shopping spree. Excellente.  
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Totally agree with Dan here. There is a much better concept and execution for this Topshop instagram team up. Read more below.

fuelforthoughts:

Topshop - Wish you were at Topshop

Sorry Nike, you made the baffling choice of partnering with the increasingly uncool Hipstamatic earlier this month. Topshop though, made the correct choice and have chosen Instagram as their in-store retro photobooth.

For their new campaign ‘wish you were at Topshop’, shoppers are treated to a complimentary styling and make-up session, followed by their very own photoshoot. They can choose the instagram filters for each photo, then upload the creations directly to Topshop’s Facebook gallery and their own profiles, as well as having them printed as postcards. All participants that ‘like’ the brand on FB are also entered into a draw for a £1000 shopping spree. Excellente.  

Just got a push on my iPhone from Hipstamatic letting me know that there was a new Hipstapak out.  Now I don’t use the app much anymore (mainly due to instagram kicking it’s arse with social features) so what made me take notice?  The fact that pack is a Nike one (did the image give it away?). I think this is an interesting move from both companies and I can’t decide if its a good or bad thing for the Hipsta brand.
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Just got a push on my iPhone from Hipstamatic letting me know that there was a new Hipstapak out.  Now I don’t use the app much anymore (mainly due to instagram kicking it’s arse with social features) so what made me take notice?  The fact that pack is a Nike one (did the image give it away?). I think this is an interesting move from both companies and I can’t decide if its a good or bad thing for the Hipsta brand.