Big Design and User Experience Changes Coming In iOS 10
(and is that a space where the as-yet-unannounced Dark Mode will appear in Control Center?)
At WWDC in June, Apple unveiled iOS 10 which will be released publicly along with the iPhone 7 in September. The majority of the public will happily wait until then; some iOS app developers will install the developer release immediately; while those of us who didn’t go to WWDC but *do* want to keep up with the latest iOS design trends *might* chance installing the public beta before its general public release.
But whether we want to run the risk of running a potentially flaky pre-release version of the core OS on our iPhones or not, it would still be good to know what’s in store… so let’s take a look at some of the biggest design updates in iOS 10 as revealed during the keynote, at various preview sessions held over WWDC, and further detailed in Apple’s updated Human Interface Design Guidelines for iOS, all of which point us to where the iOS design puck is headed…
Designing a Movie Sharing App for iOS: Part 1
In this multi-part series, I’m sharing the process of developing an app for iOS. OurMovies is a “social” movie sharing app I’m creating as a way to learn more about the design and development considerations of making modern mobile apps.
From a design perspective, I’ll be getting to know iOS’s native UI elements and I’ll be using Xcode’s more recent design features like auto layout and stack views. From a development perspective, I’m making the app in Apple’s new programming language, Swift, and will be exploring how to make an app which is responsive, stores data in the cloud, uses a third-party API, and looks and feels like a modern social media application.
Continue reading
After Dark Branding for Buffer
Recent design trends towards clean, minimal website layouts and user interfaces have led to a whole host of bright white or light grey backgrounds illuminating our screens… but if you look at your laptop, tablet or phone a lot in the evening, sometimes you need something a little less “intense.”
This led me to exploring alternative branding and colour palettes for a few different brands, starting with social media app Buffer. Taking the concept a step further, I also created a custom skin for Buffer’s website to switch the whole site into ‘after dark mode.’ Continue reading to see the video time-lapse and website UI changes…
Energetic New Website for Award Winning Choreographer
I worked closely with international choreographer Janis Claxton who needed to showcase her award-winning work on a website that would look great on all modern devices. Janis had assembled plenty of great images and reviews, but the content and structure of her previous site had become confusing and difficult to navigate. We began by breaking down what she wanted to achieve, and were then able to design and structure a new site to highlight her work simply and cleanly. A unique design now reflects the energy and personality of her work, so Janis can now more easily showcase her previous work to potential clients, and go on to produce more great work as a result.
After working together, Janis had this to say:
Graphic Design & Artworking for International Fashion Retailer
I recently had the pleasure of working with international fashion retailer M&Co. I designed their Autumn/Winter 2015 advertising campaign (which ran in the national press), as well as a one-off 8-page insert for a national newspaper and incorporating photography from their latest catalogue.
Brand Design & Web Development for UK Electrical Contractor
MBElectrical is a family-owned electrical contractor working across residential, commercial and industrial sectors. They pride themselves on providing the highest quality of workmanship, reliability, value for money and excellent customer service.
Their identity needed to reflect these values and set them apart from other electrical contractors. I have worked with the company’s directors – George and Paul – over the last few years, originally producing their new identity and business stationery, and more recently designing their new responsive website, various marketing materials, van livery, and signage for their new office.
Brand Development & Web Design for Leading Media Training College
Pulse College provides some of the industry’s leading training courses in audio, music, film, gaming and animation. I recently completed a Sound Engineering Diploma at Pulse, and got to know the Directors — Tony, Aidan and Naomi — who are some of the nicest and most talented people I’ve met 🙂
I worked with them over the course of several months to design a new identity which was applied to a new website (which I also designed for them), their promotional videos, email newsletters, prospectus, and the signage used inside their studios.