Adding Some Life to the iPhone Home Screen

Utilizing animation to add a little joy to the average application icon.

I decided it would be cool to liven up the standard static iPhone application by adding in some simple animation. I created animations that would feel intuitive given the design and function of the application.

I created animations for three native iOS applications:

1. Mail: the mail application is an envelope that opens to reveal your mail then is tucked neatly back in the envelope once the application is closed.
2. Weather: the sun comes out from behind the cloud to present the weather and tucks itself back behind the cloud when the application is closed.
3. Photos: the photos application already has such a radial design, so the design spins to load up your photos and spins again to close them down.

The application icons are the first impression someone will get from an application. They can and should be utilized to make that first impression count. Animation is a simple and effective way to catch a user’s eye.