I’ve been a huge fan of Pinterest since it opened to the world in 2010. I’ve used Pinterest for inspiration when planning home decor, storage solutions, and even building an outdoor pergola. This has proven to be a valuable tool in helping me organize my photos based on specific subjects, and I don’t know what I would have done without it. My house is definitely not this organized.
Since its release 14 years ago, few have come close to matching this powerful app. Sure, there’s Designspiration, but it’s too reflective of Pinterest for my taste. There are also apps like Dribble and Behance, but these are more suited to creators looking to showcase their work than the average person looking for inspiration.
But I think Pinterest may have found its match now. As of 2022, mood board enthusiasts are turning to other options. it is called cosmos And it may just have loosened Pinterest’s grip on me.
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This is part of a regular series of articles exploring apps you can’t live without. Read all about it here.
Having worked in a variety of creative fields over the years, including graphic design, video editing, 3D visualization, and hobby carpentry, I’ve always found mood boards to play an important role. A unique space to gather visual inspiration while learning from how others have created the same type of art.
Studying with people who have walked a difficult path is an invaluable part of the creative process. Cosmos lets you do just that without all the bloated ads and sponsored content that clutter Pinterest. From the moment you start using the app, it’s clear that Cosmos has chosen a black and white, minimalist design. This is ideal for creators who want to focus on the image rather than the interface that houses the art.
With few distractions, all focus is on the creative process of finding inspiration. Using the app is a wonderfully meditative and meaningful experience, perfect for starting any creative process or project. I’ve found it to be an incredibly powerful tool for facilitating and improving my creative process.
Cosmos includes a variety of intuitive features that set it apart from the likes of Pinterest and Instagram. First, everything revolves around elements and clusters. The former are all images, links, videos, and articles that inspire you. The latter is a personal collection that allows users to organize and categorize their saved elements. I’ve found that combining the two gives me the perfect blend to organize my ideas while keeping them fluid enough to add more.
Other features include AI-powered search, where users can find inspiration by color or phrase, and a ‘Discover’ page to explore new ideas across a variety of categories. These features are great for finding exactly what you want while opening the door to other creative avenues.
Another of these innovative features is Infinite Canvas. It provides an immersive way to view and revisit your inspiration, present your ideas, and showcase your work. This feature was first seen in another project the team was involved with called Public Work, a search engine for public domain content. Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, so it’s now rolled out to Cosmos.
One thing that sets Cosmos apart is that there are no ads or sponsored content. When I first started using this app, I kept expecting to see some targeted ads and other nuisances that app developers require to fund their projects. . I’ve never had a break-in, so I’m really glad they didn’t come.
With its innovative features and ad-free experience, Cosmos has attracted a large fan base. This platform has hundreds of thousands of users and millions of elements. They recorded 3 searches per second within the app and won the title of “Best App of the Week” in the Apple App Store’s design category.
Cosmos also offers extensions for both Chrome and Safari that allow you to view all saved elements within the app. That means no matter where you’re browsing, Cosmos is here to help.
Download the Cosmos app iOS.
