TECHNiCOLOR
The iPhone has a beautiful display with vibrant colors.
Why aren’t developers using it?
The greatest aspect of owning an iPhone is the beautiful, flawless screen that I smudge with my sausage fingers day-in and day-out. Sure, there’s tons of equally better if not superior displays than the iPhone (at least on paper) yet even DisplayMate rated the iPhone 6 to be the best LCD display ever — despite the technical quality of Samsung’s Galaxy Note 4 with a QHD resolution and its baffling color accuracy. But that’s not what this is about.
Let’s take a look at the default home screen on iOS 8. Notice the abnormally high use of white in, at least this case, the default app icons. This is a noticable trend that continues to popularize amongst developers as I continue to search in the App Store: A colored graphic, usually centered, with a white border or background. The concept is aesthetically pleasing, yes; however, it has become all too common: the diversity in application icons has become stale and pragmatic.
In a real-world scenario, the app selection is far more diverse amongst every-day users. Users don’t choose apps based on color, of course. That would be absurd, no one judges a book by its cover, right?
This image is a gif of the current apps on my iPhone, arranged by the most dominant color within the icon (ex. Spotify is both green and black but green stands out more, so I sorted it with the other green applications). At first the color diversity seems relatively fair, until a quick glance of the white app icons, which takes up more than one page. I know, calm yourself. Sit back down. It will be okay.
The question is nearly to the point of wishing that every icon would be the same: a white border/background and a colored graphic in the middle. Boring? Yes. Uniform? Yes. Is it better than the way things are now? Of course not. I’m not asking that every app be the same, I’ve simply grown tired of the lack of diversity and basic creativity within the little rounded-square icons on my home screen. Sure, it’s not that noticable when your apps aren’t arranged by color, but the issue is still prominent.
Of course this could all be traced back to the certain applications that I use on my phone. I use a lot of apps that are based on productivity, but I still see no connection. Could the issue stem from the fact that Apple initially began creating the ‘default’ look for these icons? Let’s go back a few years.
iOS 7's transformative design overall didn’t just change the UI to a flatter, more refined operating system, the color palette also changed. The diverse colors and gradients within application icons was replaced with shadow-less ‘in your face’ colors that appear to be more fun and friendly. However, with the advancement of the new design criteria, icons also began adding a hellofalot more white. A lot. Take a glimpse at the Safari, Reminders, Calendar, and Game Center icons. Does Apple’s continuing push for simplicity overpower the creative spirit?
I am no design expert. I’m not even a novice. I would just like to know why the creators of these amazing applications aren’t taking advantage of the iPhone’s beautiful, flawless display and make icons that stand out. After all, if color is the fruit of life, shouldn’t Apple be the one to plant the seeds?
If you enjoyed reading this article I humbly ask that you please forward this along to those you feel might also enjoy it. Thank you!
