Solo is a project management application for designers of all stripes, both traditional and digital. Right now, designers can try it free for 10 days; afterward, it costs £5 per month.
The experience starts with a dashboard, a snapshot of all the projects, clients and deadlines you're juggling at the moment. From this big-picture view, you can zoom in on timesheets, invoices, client contacts, and your own personal journal.
Perhaps best of all, the app is really, really pretty. When viewed at full-size, the pages show a stunning depth of nuance rarely seen in web apps. You'll need to sign up for yourself to get a true feel for the app's UI, but you can take a look at these sample screenshots to get a rough idea:
Click to see larger versions.
The downside is the app is still in a very early stage, hence the low introductory price. You're likely to find a couple bugs lurking here and there in the software; and many features, such as client logins, document uploads, messaging and design blog feeds are still "coming soon." Still, it's definitely worth a try while it's fresh.
Solo is the freshman release from UK software shop Thrive. A company rep wrote in an email, "We've been beavering away for the last nine months creating a new online management tool for freelancers... Being designers ourselves, we love the creative input and critical eye of our peers. At the end of the day, Solo is for us and you."