ATOMIC ROBOT

Posted 11 Dec 2019 | Development

Animation in Flutter

Beautiful and fluid UIs which maintain 60 frames per second are a subtle mark of an excellent app experience. Given how hard it is to avoid jank, developers often choose to simplify designs or forego animations altogether. With Flutter, attention to these details comes as a natural byproduct of its cross-platform rendering engine and its emphasis on declarative UI. In this article, we’ll iterate on a series of examples to illustrate the basics of Flutter animation.

Posted 3 Dec 2018 | Design, Featured

Typography in Sketch

As an InDesign lover at heart, I have been happily surprised with how eloquently Sketch handles type. So I just wanted to share some handy features I have learned: Text Styles Working with a development team? Text styles are a great way to integrate the developer mentality into your designs. Everytime there is a unique font size or font weight, the development team has to create a new style. So optimizing these styles in your designs is key.

Posted 30 Nov 2018 | Design, Featured

Most Useful Sketch Shortcuts

Here are my top 7 favorite Sketch 52 shortcuts! #1 Zoom Command+1 = Zoom to include all objects in the workspace. Command+2 = Zoom to selected objects. Command+0 = Return to origional zoom. #2 Arrange along the Z-axis Option+Command+Up/Down = Send foward/backward. Control+Option+Command+Up/Down = Send to front/back. #3 Input Math #4 Precision Selections Option+Selection= Select only entirely selected objects Selection → Right click → Select Layer #5 Fills and Borders Selection+F = Add/Remove Fill Selection+B = Add/Remove Borders

Posted 28 Nov 2018 | Design, Featured

Color Management Tips and Tricks

Includes two Sketch palettes! Swatches There are two main swatch libraries built into Sketch, global and document colors. How those libraries function is exactly how you would probably guess. Global Global colors exist throughout all of your documents but are unique to you. I found the best practice for my workflow is to use global swatches for things like wireframing and digital sketches. Tasks that are intentionally general, not adhering to a specific brand, but still, have strategic color choice involved.

Posted 26 Nov 2018 | Design, Featured

4 ways to be more efficient in Sketch

Includes a Material Design icon symbol library! 1. Power up your libraries. Screenshot from Abstract What are libraries? Libraries are Sketch documents, typically full of helpful symbols, that can be used globally. New to Sketch? Start Here Why should I use Libraries? Libraries provide a single source of truth and can be linked across documents and even projects. How do I maximize the power of Libraries? Get started with robust libraries.

Posted 24 Sep 2018 | iOS, Android, Design, Featured

Accessibility First

Think of the last few times you’ve seen an accessibility ramp on a building. They sometimes seem like an afterthought don’t they? Why not build the ramp first and create a unified experience for those that have difficulty with stairs and those that don’t? Accessibility is beneficial to everyone. This theory applies to the design of all things. For those of us designing and building software there’s a term for this kind of thinking: universal design.

Posted 25 Jun 2018 | Business, Featured

How Much Does It Cost to Build an App?

The process of completing an app relies on multiple factors: the required team, agency experience, app complexity, and overall price. Atomic Robot breaks down each step from idea to execution. THE TEAM BEHIND THE APP An app can’t build itself (yet) — it requires a robust team of specialists. Each plays an important role in the final product. A team is generally composed of: Designer: Determines the flow of the app (user-experience) and crafts the visual look and feel (user-interface).

Posted 18 Jun 2018 | Android, Featured

Flutter Takes Off at Google I/O

Flutter is Google’s mobile app SDK for crafting high-quality native interfaces on iOS and Android in record time. This year’s Google I/O conference prominently featured Flutter alongside native development experiences. Cross-platform solutions for mobile applications have been around as long as there have been smartphones. From early HTML based solutions such as Cordova to more “native” solutions like Xamarin and React Native, the goal to “write once and deliver everywhere” has been out of reach.

Posted 13 Jul 2017 | Business

7 Best Resources for Early Stage Cincinnati Startups

As a mobile app developer, I’m contacted by one or more passionate founders in the early stages of the startup journey almost every week. There’s always a big idea, but in many cases, there’s also someone searching for startup advice and concrete next steps. Luckily, there’s a strong start-up community in Cincinnati, and I love pointing early stage Cincinnati startups to seven of my favorite local resources: 1. The Brandery The Brandery is a Cincinnati startup accelerator that offers financing, world-class mentorship, amazing partnership opportunities and introductions to investors nationwide.