I do not be afraid to appear Captain Obvious and begin this review with a very important idea, which is often overlooked beginners, inexperienced developers. Beautiful application icon - the key to success. So it was, is and always will be. Holding in the hands of their iPhone or iPad, people definitely want to see in the Retina-display-quality graphics and clear design, which, as they say, pleases the eye. Hence we conclude that the users will be more likely to pay attention to the application, if the designers when creating the program give sufficient attention to the icon. And this, in turn, should help your application to achieve chart-topping App Store.
West blog Beautiful Pixels recently published an interesting collection of original icons of applications for iOS and OS X, which appeared in the App Store in the past year. This article certainly will be interesting not only for professional designers, but also ordinary users, from an aesthetic point of view.
Fantastical
Fantastical - one of my favorite programs on OS X, published last month in the version for iOS. Application icon for Mac is fantastic, however, as the mobile version of Fantastical icon. The icon shows a calendar with a little "drawn" in the lower right corner of the page that creates the effect of mystery. Icon is so colorful that it would be desirable to place it on the first page of SpringBoard iOS and Launchpad on OS X. Fantastical currently sold in
App Store at a discounted price of 129 rubles.Diet Coda Coda and 2
The guys from the company's developer community Panic surprised not only the long-awaited update of the code editor Coda 2 for Mac, but also the release version of the application for the iPad aptly named Diet Coda. Besides the basic functionality of the application (for more detail, you can read on our website), Panic designers spent an impressive amount of time to create a truly beautiful icons for both programs. The icon for the Mac version (cm. screenshot above) retains the familiar user list, but has gained a significant amount of new parts. But icon for Diet Coda performed in a slightly different manner - the texture of the sheet was selected as the background pattern, and it remained in the form of a figure drops. The end result was so great that, in the words of Steve Jobs, "you'll want to lick the screen." Coda 2 and Diet Coda can be purchased for 2490 and 649 rubles respectively.
1Password 4
4 1Password - visual upgrade from a previous version of the popular password manager. After reading this dry description it is unlikely that many of our readers have had an idea that 1Password has a colorful icon. And this is indeed the case - the icon displayed stylish keyhole, steel framed background. All lines are drawn so subtly and realistically, that creates an easy wish to insert the real key. Icon 1Password 4 looks very cool, match the most utility. By the way, in the framework of the Christmas sales at the time of this writing, 1Password 4 sold at half price - just 269 rubles.
evernote Food
Evernote for employees last year was really productive. Over the past 12 months, we have seen major updates "coreĀ» Evernote programs and update Evernote Food came out last week. Although personally I have not had a chance to try the new version of the case, the application is really worth mentioning in our collection of beautiful icons of applications for iOS and OS X. You just look at the amount of detail in the overflow of colors and game penumbra of rice! Someone might even think that the developers used this photo of sushi on a plate in high definition. But in fact a team of professional designers worked on the icon. Evernote Food is absolutely free for download from App Store and google Play.
Day One
The ecosystem of iOS and OS X applications submitted are not many tools to keep a personal diary, so Day One can be called one of the surprises of the year. Absolute confirmation of success - Apple itself has chosen its Year program for Mac. Of course, some share in such a successful launch and played the original application icon. Day One can buy in App Store for 169 rubles, and the desktop version of the program sells for 329 rubles Mac App Store.
conclusions
As you can see, to create a beautiful icon of the application for iOS and OS X is not difficult if you approach the matter professionally and give enough attention. In late November, we had A separate article with tips and examples of infographics dedicated to creating detailed Mac icons. Let me give you the key quote:
icons design aspects are also subject obschetematicheskih courses on usability. The design itself requires the ability to combine an attractive picture with the desired functional properties. Icons are designed to look like the objects they represent. They should be easily recognized and well displayed on the screens of different sizes and resolutions.
If you are a designer, we strongly recommend to read. Do you know any more tips for creating icons for iOS and Mac apps? Write in the comments!