Welcome, traveler. It’s me, Tom Rolfe: a Bristol-based Designer, Developer, Dabbler, and Dad. I’m a real 4-D experience! (Not the kind that puffs air on your face and shakes the seat at an aquarium cinema show).
This is where you’ll find some of things I do for work and fun – see if you can tell which is which!
LEMON SQUEEZY
I made a minimal first camera app for kids, designed for my own children to encourage calm, focused creativity without gimmicks or gamification.
It gets them moving, exploring, and observing – not just passively consuming like other forms of screen time. It also gives them a dedicated space for photography to stop them messing up my own photo library!
Everything is fully offline and private, and I think it’s a pretty handy app to have in your pocket. Currently iOS only, with a generous free tier or $1/month for unlimited use.
Check it out for yourself and drop me a review if you’re feeling friendly!
SWIPE
I run the tech review website swipe100.com and the accompanying iPhone magazine Swipe, where I was editor for many years before taking full ownership and splitting from parent company TapSmart (see below) in 2026. Our iOS app has 600k lifetime downloads and has published more than 300 issues.
Since taking charge I’ve used the platform to spotlight small creators through my Indie Apps Showcase and the ever-changing Indie 100 rankings. We also publish reviews, features, and guides to help iPhone users get the most from their devices – and interviews from successful app devs to get a behind-the-scenes look into their creative process.
TAPSMART
I worked at tech website Tapsmart for over a decade (2015-2026) writing about Apple news and reviewing iPhone apps, games, and hardware. Tapsmart’s suite of apps have over 10M lifetime downloads, and I managed those as part of my role.
I pride (prode?) myself on only covering things that are genuinely interesting to our readers – no sponsored posts or paid puff pieces. One of my favourites is this review of Angry Birds 2 from the start of my tenure, as it chronicles the tipping point when mobile gaming became more obsessed with money than fun. Younger readers might not recall a time without micro-transactions, but it was beautiful.
APP CONSULTING
I offer design audits to help small developers improve their apps. I know the landscape pretty well and I’m good at spotting what works and what doesn’t.
I look at things from a UX/UI perspective: design, navigation, consistency, copywriting, and the blind spots solo creators can miss from being too close to the details. I also help devs move away from the generic “vibe coded” design language that’s making the internet increasingly beige and soulless.
WAFFLE CLUB
I run and host a comedy powerpoint party called Tommy’s Waffle Club at Bristol’s Wardrobe Theatre.
It’s like watching a series of unhinged TED Talks, and I started it way before Dropout brought the format to the masses with Smartypants. Currently on hiatus after 9 live shows featuring 32 speakers, 69 presentations, and 714 slides that took silliness seriously.
Read my interview with The Wardrobe Theatre here.
GOBLINS AND GOALPOSTS
A simple sports sim with spells, skeletons, and subterfuge, made for a game jam in 2021. It’s quite literally fantasy football! Made in Unity.
Inspired by my childhood love of Championship Manager and my adulthood love of Dungeons & Dragons, a.k.a. the overlap of the jock/nerd venn diagram. When you get down to it, the two games aren’t that different: they’re both about analyzing stats and creating stories. You nurture a group of players, attempt to strategize, and then sit back and spectate as the whims of fate decide whether or not your head gets kicked off.
Goblins and Goalposts is free to play on itch.io.
GALACTIC STARCADE
Back in 2014 I designed and built my own two-player bartop arcade cabinet. It plays all the classics from retro games consoles, from Arkanoid to Zelda.
I shared the plans for free and 2 million views later, hundreds of people have built their own arcade cabinets from my blueprints – including shady resellers!
This was a time before you could get DIY arcade-building kits or officially licensed mini-consoles, and I’m bravely taking 100% of the credit for the retro gaming resurgence that’s exploded since then.
POSTER DESIGN
I do some freelance design work on the side, specialising in posters and flyers for comedy and theatre shows in the UK.
I designed a bunch of posters for improv soap opera Closer Each Day and Wardrobe Ensemble Christmas show Moulin Scrooge. I’ve also worked with Murder She Didn’t Write, Notting Hell, The Bristol Cable, and more. I’ve been Photoshopping for 20 years and don’t use generative AI.
That’s me, folks. Feel free to get in touch. Cheers!
Tom x