6 valuable apps for web designers and developers

 There are hundreds of apps designed for web professionals so it can be a hard task choosing which ones are going to be the most useful to you. Below is a round-up of apps that can save you time and make your working life a lot easier.

1. WhatTheFont

Have you ever been a position where you've seen an interesting font but don't have a clue what it is called? Using this app, you take a photo of the text and it will ask you to confirm the characters. It will then identify the font for you. Of course, it is not always 100% accurate, but it often comes up with a suitable alternative. For the times when it does get it right, it can save you hours, without costing you a thing.

http://www.myfonts.com/WhatTheFont/mobile/

2. Reeder

It's important to stay ahead of what's going on in such a fast moving industry, as new trends are cropping up all the time. Most of this new information comes from blogs and news feeds, so Reeder means you don't need to search through hundreds of sites each day. Reeder is a Google Reader client, and has a fantastic interface and sharing features.

http://reederapp.com/ios/

3. SketchBook Pro

This app can prove invaluable during scoping and requirements gathering with clients. It allows you to produce some rough sketches of ideas - a much easier way of demonstrating your concept than trying to explain it. Although drawing with your fingers may be a new concept to you, it saves lugging around a laptop. The drawing tool is precise and the fact the iPad can quickly zoom in and out makes the app very intuitive.

http://www.autodesk.com/products/sketchbook-pro/overview

4. Colour Expert

Unless you have a precise eye for colour, it is wise to have a colour wheel app. Some colour wheels are often fairly expensive - this app, on the other hand, costs less than £6 and is crammed with features. An interactive, multiple- schemed colour wheel, a basic swatch book, an image selector that picks out colour from any photo on your device, plus the ability to export palettes, are just some of the services this app can provide.

http://www.code-line.com/software/colorexpert/

5. WordPress

Although many designers and developers have a WordPress tool to deal with their own blog or a customer's content management, if you have this app you can easily edit and write posts and manage images and comments from your phone. The ability to finish off a blog post when out and about proves invaluable.

http://wordpress.org/mobile/

6. Evernote

Thinking of and crafting ideas is often the most difficult part of a project, and inspiration can occur at any time. These ideas are often lost as there is not always an easy way to record them. Evernote allows you to store, collect and access all sorts of things: images, chunks of code, ideas, web pages, sounds and screen grabs. It will automatically organise them, and you can refine them further by placing ideas into notebooks.

http://evernote.com/evernote/

Please note: Markel do not endorse or recommend any one product and this information is intended as a guide only.