6 Productivity and Time Tracking Apps for Graphic Designers

People make decisions on lots of issues within the first seconds, and what they see in most cases shape their instant judgments. So, a second look into the world of graphic design will surely be beneficial.

Graphic designers are supposed to be creative, skillful with their time management, patient, sociable and, as if it is not enough, demonstrate the ability to be talented entrepreneurs to promote their projects.

The tech space is littered with millions of tools and software alluring them with the promise to make miracles in terms of managing time and achieving the sustained creativity by default. The huge amount of apps means that you might find yourself scrolling and choosing among them for hours, thus, diverting from doing the actual work.

Fortunately, there are tried and tested apps that greatly facilitate designers’ working routine and help boost their productivity.

Besides the essential software the graphic designers use, there are resources that remove time pressure, create distraction-free work atmosphere and ‘keep’ inspiration on track.

Quick fix for vector designs: Assembly

The Assembly app can help in creating the best vector designs. Vector designs have become extremely popular these days and most clients expect that designers include them into their creations.  

The app comprises of an impressive gallery that offers more than 180 basic shapes. The designer can choose a shape and then customize it to create a unique and impeccable design as well as combine it with photos or texts.  

As Paula Scher stated, “You’re not changing somebody, you’re making them a more perfect vision than when you started”. It seems that applying Assembly is one of the best means in achieving this ‘perfecting’ effect.

Quick fix for filters and effects: Mextures

Installing this app, you will get access to multiple pro-looking filters. For as little as $1.99 you unlock 150 different textures, which can be overlayed to create stunning designs and effects. It will certainly be a blessing in terms of saving time and translating your creativity into projects.

For example, vintage illustrations are never out of fashion, especially now when vintage trends are on the rise, which is why grain edit can be recommended as one of the essential tools for graphic designers.  You can create a company logo with vintage designs in a snap of time.

The designs on this tool are inspired from the 50’s-70’s of the last century. You can choose the best designs and, using customization options, transform them into something unique. There are tons of tips that, with the right level of skills, can turn into another source of your inspiration.

Quick fix for tracking time on your graphic design work: TMetric

This app offers the time tracking that is not bloated with functions and will perfectly perform the most important mission of a digital time tracker, i.e., work noiselessly on the background and make the accurate billable hours calculations while you focus on the task at hand.

It can be installed as the browser extension or on the mobile, and this way even the time the designer uses for communication on project-related issues (email, Skype, phone calls, etc.) will not be lost. Moreover, the client receiving a clear report on time allocation will have a better understanding of project time consumption, which, overall, helps in building trustworthy relations between the graphic designer and the customer.  

TMetric integrates with the professional design apps like Photoshop and Final Cut Pro so the designer can track any type of work. It also supports work management systems like Asana, RedMine, Jira, and working automatically, it will collect the data without breaking down your workflow.

Quick fix for task management: Todoist

It is a perfect task manager that will never fail because it has the option of editing the entries and arranging the schedule as well as prioritizing the tasks.

All the completed tasks are marked with ‘karma upgrade’. This app has a great interface, evaluates your productivity and lets you share your tasks and updates instantly.

This app syncs with lots of devices: for example, if you use this app on Android Wear watch you can arrange the tasks with voice commands.  

Quick fix for project management: Trello

It is a great tool that would let you manage any project however big it was.

Trello boards became legendary because moving tasks within a board is as simple as sticking the post-it on the fridge but with a crucial difference: on Trello no detail will be lost and no task neglected. The status of the task will help you estimate the time you need for completing your work.

You can also create the board for collecting the graphic design resources you need to keep at your disposal and this way you will get the instant access to the library within your personal management system.

Quick fix for secure storage of the passwords: 1Password

This app can be recommended as one of the best password ‘keepers’.

Now you can create strong and reliable passwords for the frequently used services and get the access to your data from any device you use. Besides the option of unlocking any service ‘on-the-go’, you will be able to give access to your accounts by sharing the password with people by your choice.    

The account is instantly activated, which is time and energy-saving.  

This app has tons of positive reviews because people find it not only useful but reliable as well.

In conclusion

A distracted and badly-equipped designer is an unproductive designer.  Of course, there are unavoidable breaks. But if you can skip bothering distractions and ‘delegate’ maintenance of some tasks, you will be better prepared to meet deadlines and see to the project.

After all said and done, our main mission is to reach our potential at full and contribute to our success with a reward we surely deserve in case we are ready for the hard work.

Open yourself to new opportunities and boost creating new original designs with the productivity apps from our list.