As a mobile designer I am, in fact, highly mobile. I’ve tried to abandon paper as much as possible and design digitally. The iPad provides a great experience to do so. Especially when I’m commuting to work in the morning. So, I thought I would share some of the top apps I use to sketch out ideas and find inspiration.

1. Inspiro – $3.99

A great app for sparking creative juices. I like the word randomization that gets my mind thinking about new directions, names, logos, colors and more. Very cool. (Also, available for iPhone)

2. Phaidon Design Classic – $19.99

This is a pricey one but well worth the iconic, classic design images. Beautifully done and great for inspiration.

3. Pages – $9.99

You might not think this is good for designing but it’s awesome for laying out quick ideas. I’ve cut down a lot of the individual GUI elements (device shells, icons, images, toolbars, etc) into iPhoto and pull them on to the page. Great for creating quick, high-level mocks on the go. And the best? You can export and share it quickly.

4. Penultimate – $3.99

Simple sketchbook. That’s why I love it. Simplicity. Easy for jotting down a child-like sketch of an idea. Also, decent for taking quick notes. By far my favorite of all the apps like it.

5. Adobe Ideas – Free

Such an intuitive app. Great for creating cool illustrations on the go. And, it’s free! (Also, available for iPhone)

6. iMockups – $9.99

Pretty cool app for doing quick and dirty mocks. Whether for Web, mobile or whatever you need. The interface could use a little more work though.

7. GoDocs – $3.99

Awesome for syncing up Google docs. I keep guideline PDFs, requirement spreadsheets and more in the cloud. This app allows me to check them and sync seamlessly as I’m working on designs. (Also, available for iPhone)

Have an iPad app you love? Please share in the comments below!