The iOS App Icon Book features hundreds of works of art from individuals and teams around the world. It serves as an inspiration and as a historical collection covering more than a decade of design on the iOS platform.
It's been 4 long years since I first dreamt of making a beautiful book that celebrates the art and craft of app icon design. A design discipline that's shaped much of my career. 10.000 emails, 1000 license agreements and countless of late nights with collaborators later and we finally launched the Kickstarter campaign to fund the first production run.
It’s been an incredible honor to collect, curate, and write this book with the help from amazing people on a subject that’s been such a guiding force in my career.
The project got funded in less than an hour and we're now looking at a healthy first production run. I think we’ve made a beautiful, timely and important book anyone can enjoy about a subject that's often overlooked.
I've seen this particular corner of design grow into a beautifully large and diverse landscape. We’ve moved through trends and platform changes but the core aspects of app icon design remained the same, and the art is as relevant today as it ever was.
I wanted to capture that in a book: a beautiful artbook that would celebrate the craft, inspire new work, and preserve the history of the art that has lived on our mobile devices.
A history that is quickly fading. Many apps featured in this book aren't around anymore or have evolved — which means the work we've been doing to capture this artwork have borded on internet archaeology. If we don’t preserve these things now, while we still have the opportunity to, they will be gone forever.
We've also lived through a great period of sameness in design. A merging of styles and streamlining of tastes. Many apps and websites look similar today as the design industry has matured. Looking back at 10 years of vibrant playfulness in icon design serves as a great reminder that design can be anything we want it to be.
I hope you'll consider upvoting and adding this book to your collection.
I've known Michael for many years now. I've shared office space with him, organized meetups and conferences, and had a good share of beers as well. Without having read this book, I know it will be colorful and entertaining. He's been an expert in the app icon business for many years and I have no doubt that he's been able to put together a great book! I wish him the best of luck with the Kickstarter campaign.
Weather Up
Freepik
Weather Up
Retro Sketch | Magic Screen
Weather Up