What’s new for designers, July 2013

The July edition of what’s new for web designers and developers includes new web apps, JavaScript resources, iOS 7 development tools, responsive design tools and frameworks, icons, e‑commerce solutions, image apps, coding resources, and some really great new fonts. Many of the resources below are free or very low cost, and are sure to be useful to a lot of designers and developers out there. As always, if we’ve missed something you think should have been included, please let us know in the comments. And if you have an app or other resource you’d like to see included next month, tweet it to @cameron_chapman for consideration.

Froont

lets you design websites right in your browser, using a simple drag and drop interface. This lets you see your site exactly as your visitors will. 

jQuery CollagePlus

is a jQuery plugin that arranges your images to fit exactly inside a container. You have control over padding between images, the target row height, and CSS borders, and the plugin handles the rest. 

Thincons

is a $7 set of icons inspired by iOS7. There are 77 icons in all, and you can get a sampling of them in exchange for a Tweet if you don’t want to pay for the full set. 

gridr buildrrr

is an easy-to-use grid creator with just enough options. Specify the number of columns, the column width and margins, and any draggable boxes you want to include, and let gridr buildrrr do the rest. 

Tabulous.js

is a jQuery tabs module that offers a number of transition options, including scaling, sliding, and more. Implementation is quick and easy, with full documentation. 

Opa Framework for JavaScript

makes it simple to simultaneously write frontend and backend code in the same language, in the same module. It’s fully compatible with all standard JS libraries, includes database automation, and has HTML5 native support among other features. 

Golden Ratio Typography Calculator

The Golden Ratio Typography Calculator is a simple tool for creating better typography. Just enter your font size and content width, as well as an optional CPL (characters per line), and get a number of typographic recommendations. 

Gumroad

makes it simple to sell any digital (or physical) goods online. Just upload your files, style your sales page, and get selling. Gumroad handles your payment processing, and charges just 5% per transaction. 

Notism

is a fast, simple, effective way for teams to collaborate on visual content. It includes tools for sketching and commenting, allows you to create interactive prototypes, and even has project management capabilities. 

Style Guide Boilerplate

This Style Guide Boilerplate is geared toward designers and developers who want to roll their own frameworks to handle common components they use between projects. 

AOL Reader

Need an alternative to Google reader? Check out AOL Reader. You can sign in with your AOL, Facebook, Google, or Twitter account to request access to the beta version. The app’s layout is customizable, and it offers the ability to import your RSS subscriptions in standard OPML format. 

Webfonts Corner

is a showcase of web fonts in use on sites around the web. It’s a fantastic place to go for typographic inspiration. 

Square Market

is a new ecommerce solution from Square. It costs nothing extra over the regular cost of Square payment processing, and the storefronts provided are modern and well-designed. 

Gridism

is a responsive grid system that’s simple and easy to use. It stacks grid units on mobile device screens, and scales up to 978 or 1140px (your choice). 

iOS 7 GUI PSD

This iOS 8 GUI PSD from Teehan+Lax includes GUI elements found in the beta 1 release of iOS 7. The PSD is well-organized, labeled, and layered, with editable shape layers, great for mocking up apps. 

Automaton

is a task automation tool written in JavaScript. Just set up an autofile describing what you need done, and even have one autofile use another autofile for even more complex tasks. 

File-type icon set

Building a web app? Then this free, open source file-type icon set from Teambox might be just what you need. It includes icons for a ton of different file types, including TXT, RTF, WAV, MP3, XLS, CSS, HTML, DOC, PDF, AVI, SQL, and many more. 

Later.js

lets you define complex schedules and quickly calculate future or past schedule occurrences. It works client-side or with Node.js.

Clipping Magic

makes it simple to remove the background from your images. Just mark the foreground and background of an image and Clipping Magic’s algorithm takes care of the rest. 

The Secret Handshake

is an educational resource for young and student designers looking for inside tips on how to break into the industry. There are sections on resumes, the application process, and creating a portfolio. 

Macaw

gives you the flexibility of an image editor, but writes semantic HTML and succinct CSS, so you can draw your code rather than write it. It’s not available yet, but you can sign up to be notified when it is. 

Topcoat

is a CSS framework for building clean and fast web apps. It includes a number of useful components, is themeable, and includes a PSD with all of the components in the code base. 

AlloyUI

is a framework built on YUI3 and Bootstrap for creating highly scalabel web apps. It’s fully documented and includes tutorials for getting started. 

Tactile Design Kit

This Tactile Design Kit can greatly improve conversations with your clients about how they want their website designed by providing an interactive, physical brainstorming tool. You can download it as a PDF, EPS, or AI file. 

DevDocs

is an API documentation reader with a consistent, organized interface. You can look through documentation for HTML, CSS, DOM, JavaScript, jQuery and more, all from a single place. 

Core Circus ($84)

is a layered type family of eight 2D typefaces that can be combined for 3D effects. 

Shelley (free)

is a free decorative novelty font reminiscent of vintage signage. 

Anarchy (free)

is a distressed display font that’s free for personal use. A commercial license is available for $15.

Monstrinhos ($12)

is a dingbats font made up entirely of monster characters and related images. It’s a fun, wacky font with lots of possibilities. 

Haext (free)

is a rustic, neo-Gothic, Art Nouveau-inspired typeface that has definite runic and craftsman influences. 

High Tide (free)

is a geometric display typeface with a very modern, unique look. 

Klinic Slab (name your own price)

is a slab serif typeface that comes in four weights (with italics for each). It’s a workhorse font that’s very functional while also having a distinct personality. 

llollos Script (free)

is a formal script font that’s free for personal use. There’s a commercial license available for $59.

Alianza ($133)

is a complex typographic system that includes three complementary styles: slab, script, and italic, with nine weights in each. There are also three sets of ornamental fonts included. 

Quirky Nots (free)

is a free handdrawn display font with a clumsy but whimsical feel.  Know of a new app or resource that should have been included but wasn’t? Let us know in the comments!