I’ve been a big fan of Pinterest ever since it opened its arms to the world in 2010. I’ve used it to get inspiration for home decor, storage solutions, and even when planning to build an outdoor pergola. It’s proved to be an invaluable tool to help me collate pictures based around specific subjects and I’m not sure what I would have done without it. I know for sure my house would be nowhere near as well organized!
There has been little to rival this powerhouse of an app since it launched 14 years ago. Sure, there’s Designspiration but that mirrors Pinterest far too closely for my liking. Then there are apps like Dribble and Behance but these are better suited to creatives wanting to showcase their work rather than everyday people looking for inspiration.
I think Pinterest might have now found its match, though. As of 2022, mood board enthusiasts have been turning to an alternative option. It’s called Cosmos and it may just have loosened Pinterest's grip on me as well.
This is part of a regular series of articles exploring the apps that we couldn't live without. Read them all here.
Having worked in a range of creative fields over the years, including graphic design, video editing, 3D visualization, and, as a hobby, carpentry, I’ve always seen the important role a mood board plays. It’s a unique space to gather visual inspiration while learning from how others have created the same type of art.
Apprenticing under others who have traveled well-worn paths is an incredibly valuable part of the creative process. Cosmos lets you do exactly that but without all the bloated ads and sponsored content that clutters Pinterest. Right from the outset of using the app, it’s clear that Cosmos has opted for a minimalist black-and-white design. This is ideal for creatives who want to focus on images rather than on the interface that houses the art.
There is so little to distract that all the focus goes on the creative process of getting inspired. Using the app is a wonderfully meditative and meaningful experience, perfect for the start of any creative process or project. I’ve found it to be an incredibly powerful tool to fuel and elevate my creative processes.
Cosmos includes a range of intuitive features that help it stand above and apart from the likes of Pinterest and Instagram. To begin with, everything centers around elements and clusters. The former are all the images, links, videos, and articles that inspire you. The latter are personalized collections where users can organize and categorize their saved elements. I find the mix of the two provides a perfect blending for keeping my ideas organized but fluid enough that I can still add to them.
Other features include AI-powered search so users can find inspiration by color or phrase, as well as a ‘Discover’ page for exploring new ideas across a range of categories. These features are ideal for finding exactly what you want while also leaving the door open to being drawn into other creative avenues.
Another of these innovative features is the Infinite Canvas, which provides an immersive way to view and revisit inspiration, present ideas, and showcase work. This feature was first seen in another project the team was involved in called Public Work, a search engine for public domain content. The feedback was so overwhelmingly positive that it’s now made its way into Cosmos.
One of the things that sets Cosmos apart is that there are no ads or sponsored content. When I first started using the app, I kept expecting to see a targeted ad or something intrusive required by the app’s developers to fund the project. The intrusion never came and I’m so glad it didn’t.
Innovative features and an ad-free experience have seen Cosmos attract a big fanbase. The platform has hundreds of thousands of users and millions of elements. They’ve earned the title of "Best App of the Week" in the Apple App Store’s design section while seeing three searches per second within the app.
Cosmos also provides extensions for both Chrome and Safari with all saved elements visible in the app. That means wherever you’re browsing, Cosmos is ready to assist you.
Download the Cosmos app on iOS.
