Fontcase | Elegant Font Management

Fontcase

“Fontcase: iPhoto for fonts.”

That’s how Fontcase 1.0 was introduced to the world. We loved it!

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Things 2

Things

Things 2 is awesome.

Read my post on OmniFocus for more detail on why I love these sorts of things and then come back if you like.

MailDesigner

Mail Designer

First came Apple Mail Stationery and tutorials on how to create our own.

Then came the Stationery Packs from equinux – over 300 total – but were we really going to use all those?

Then MailChimp, free template layouts or professionally designed templates for customers, and a world of email expertise and advice.

And finally, the combination of them all: Mail Designer.

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TextExpander

TextExpander

Besides the thought of seeing my words show up as I talk (Dragon Dictate, Siri, etc.), the thrill of watching five letters expand into 55 is pretty cool. Why would this be so cool? Precisely.

In 8th grade I once typed 106 words per minute (no mistakes) – I thought that was pretty fast. (I just typed 115 with 3 mistakes on typingtest.com). So how in the world could those court reporters type 225 words per minute?

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CrashPlanPRO

Backup: Have a CrashPlan

Businesses need backup. Files need saving. Data needs not getting lost.

Although I valued the services of SugarSync, the initial exposure to Carbonite, the easy familiarity of Dolly Drive, and the design and approach of BackBlaze, I found myself drawn, by recommendation of another friend, to CrashPlan by Code 42.

You know I like Dropbox and I didn’t mention SOS Online Backup or Amazon S3 in the list above, so do your own research, assess your options, and back up your stuff.

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OmniFocus

OmniFocus

OmniFocus helps me get things (like websites and other projects) done. It’s a powerful, digital tool for staying on top of just about everything I have to do. It’s my to-do list. On orange juice.

If you have something already that works for you, great. If not, give it a look. It’s personal task management, on Mac- or i- OS.

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LittleIpsum post

LittleIpsum

If you are designing websites and use Lorem Ipsum, you “need” LittleIpsum. What a great feeling when repetitive tasks get a great solution. Check them out.

Transmit icon

Transmit | FTP Client (Mac)

I saw this little purple truck early on in my days of learning about building websites. Then I saw it again and again…and again! I always wanted to know what it was for. And then the day came – I needed my first FTP client. I guess it was the second-hand enthusiasm that I couldn’t resist.

But I did do my research (and you should, too!). I’m on a Mac, so I had FileZilla (free), Cyberduck (free), Fetch, Forklift (which I liked), Flow and Transmit, all as viable options. I downloaded and tested during trial periods and found that I loved the little purple truck.

Could I use the others? Absolutely. Could I recommend them to you? I think I could even do that. Do I like using Transmit? I do.

ColorSchemer Studio

ColorSchemer Studio

In real life, architects and designers use color guides for selecting, matching and sampling the right color. The ones I’m thinking of are portable, numerically referenced and named – it’s a color-on-paper “fan deck” and they are so stinkin’ cool. Pantone has a fan deck with 2,100 colors. Many paint companies have collections of their own, too – you’ve probably seen them.

ColorSchemer Studio is a web and graphic designer’s equivalent. It’s digital, portable, and I can even edit and save color names for each project. I use it all the time, it’s value is second-to-none in the design process, and that’s why I have it listed here with this recommendation.

“I/We need a website” you might say? If we’re working together, my question to you would be, “What’s your favorite color?”

Pull out the crayons and colored pencils – it’s time to color.

Espresso HTML

Espresso

I happen to use Espresso as my HTML/CSS/PHP/etc. editor. Syntax coloring and autocomplete are invaluable features both for work and for learning. Visual CSS Editing and “X-Ray” on live previews contributed to Espresso 2’s 10/10 review on AppStorm.net.

HTML, etc. can be edited in many ways. In truth, I can only help get you started in your research as price, features, and interface all play into choosing a web editing tool. So if Espresso isn’t your cup of web-editing-tea, here’s a few other flavors I will point out on the menu (in no particular order):

WYSIWYG editors like iWeb or RapidWeaver are on the “code-free” menu, but can be helpful and tasty in the right situation. Dreamweaver is on all the menus, but can be a little overwhelming for the complete beginner.