Every year the cream of the Apple App Store’s crop gets awarded one of the top accolades in the industry, the Apple Design Awards. Not only does the award help these sometimes obscure apps get a lot more love and attention from users – but it is a real feather in a cap of a developers or UI/UX designers. A lot of these apps – both the distracting and helpful ones – start out as modest little projects. Getting a top award from the design company means a lot.
This year there are some really quality picks. Looking to get a little bit better at organizing your email? Or maybe you’re trying to find a replacement for Candy Crush (c’mon now…that’s years old by this point). Whatever your itch, this year’s award winners will scratch it. Take a scroll through and see for yourself what the best and brightest of the App store have cooked up for Mac and iOS.
Airmail 3
Got a wild email inbox? Whether on your iPhone, iPad, or Macbook – this app will tame it.
Bear
Do you hate Pages as much as we do? If so, you should maybe consider becoming a Bear convert.
Black Box
If puzzles are your thing, this top rated game will keep you occupied on long lunch breaks and sweaty subway rides.
Elk
Globetrotters, this one is for you. Whatever the currency, wherever you are, this beautifully simple converter will keep you from overpaying.
Enlight
When it comes to photo editing apps, this is about as fun as they get.
Kitchen Stories
Who hasn’t used their iPhone or laptop to check recipes while cooking? This makes the whole experience that much better with rich images and fantastic recipes.
Lake
Coloring books have been all the rage for a few years now, so it was about time that an iOS app was made to rival the old color-pencil and paper.
Mushroom 11
A post-apocalyptic puzzle games sound good to you? Us too.
Old Man’s Journey
A beautiful, watercolor puzzle adventure good enough to rival the likes of Zelda.
Severed
More than just a hack and slash app, this game is a narrative driven adventure that’ll have you hooked after the first few minutes.
Splitter
A charming, mind bending puzzle built for all ages.
Things 3
Got a lot of stuff to do? Things 3 isn’t phased. Keep track of it all with the app’s brilliant and intuitive design.
