Tue, 02 Oct 2012 Quark DesignPad for iPad review
Quirky design focused app from Quark helps develop grid based layouts
- Manufacturer: Quark
- Manufacturer: Quark
- Pros: Ease of use with tactile and simple layout tools; ability to produce quick and effective results; experiment with different layouts; helps learn the fundamentals of grid-based design; free.
- Cons: Quark seeking feedback for what is still a work in progress; more a tool for ideas; stock images not very inspiring; professionals will find app limiting.
- Min specs: Compatible with iPad. Requires iOS 4.3 or later.
- Price: Free
- Star rating:
Desktop publishing specialists Quark have upped their game in recent years, competing to stay relevant in the face of strong competition, while addressing long held criticism over poor service and high prices dating back to the late 1990s. Quark DesignPad appears to be part of a wider plan to offer value for money, additional features and bundled extras. Free, DesignPad is a useful tool, in the right hands, for creating grid-based design on the fly.
Aimed a little ambitiously at pros and more likely design newbies and students, DesignPad compliments QuarkXPress but doesn't require the professional design and layout software to be of use. Making the most of the iPad's tactile qualities, users can create and fine tune a range of pre-defined layouts for potential projects - posters, brochures, flyers and more - simply by using your fingers or adjusting sliders. If you’re stuck for ideas, clicking a pair of dice produces random designs, which you can use as your creative starting point.
Compatible with US or international document sizes, these layouts can be easily shared for comments and collaborations and, should you wish, opened in QuarkXPress for fine tuning. DesignPad uses lorem ipsum placeholder content and layouts can look more realistic by adding your own images or a selection of less than inspiring supplied free stock photos. The beauty of all this is that it doesn't take long to create something that looks professional and inspiring, at the very least acting as a springboard for your creativity.
DesignPad also takes you away from the tyranny of sitting in front of a computer screen waiting for inspiration to strike. The iPad's portability means you can be creating and experimenting with designs anywhere and at anytime. Additionally, the grid-based means that you’re not starting from scratch but have a solid base from which to build your ideas.
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