The new software update allowed users to change icon’s colour, add a universal tint and make them larger, while removing the app name beneath it.
Although all of Apple’s native apps had been redesigned to accomodate this new customisation, many third party apps were lacking a dark option.
This meant that when dark mode was selected, these app icons still displayed a light design - a visually jarring aesthetic alongisde the dark native icons.
After Apple rolled out iOS 18.1 for iPhone, I decided to design my own app icons for 'dark mode',
Iconography

In update 18 for iOS, customising your home screen icons became a flagship feature of the latest update.




Where possible, I simplified the design of the icons.
Although each icon was based on the Apple released version, I wanted to strip out unnecessary details.
For example, ‘Safari’ no longer contained the dial, ‘Instagram’ dropped the outer frame, while ‘Calculator’ contained three buttons instead of eight.
Colours were also tweaked to ensure the redesigned icons sat alongside each other consistently.
Project Details
Client: N/A
Category: Iconography
Involvement: Art Direction | Design
Agency: N/A • Year: 2024
Market Region: N/A
Software: Illustrator | Photoshop