Apollo and App Icons

As a self-proclaimed app icon-noisseur, I’ve followed Apollo from the sidelines for a while. I absolutely love all the great app icon variations Christian has commissioned for the app. (Photo from @BasicAppleGuy.)

Screenshot of over 100 app icon variations for the “Apollo” app.

It’s sad to see Apollo go. As I noted, Christian was a pioneering model for how apps can have more than just one icon.

He commissioned app icon designers to create lots of fun, diverse pieces of artwork for Apollo, ensuring designers got paid instead of promised “exposure”:

We ended up with well over 100 custom icons created by incredibly talented designers…(to be clear…I paid them all – there isn't some bs "exposure" agreement…)

When we made The App Icon Book, we were able to fill an entire spread with just Apollo icon variations. It was wonderful!

Photograph of “The App Icon Book” open to pages 112 and 113 showing variations of the “Apollo” app icon.

Before the app was gone, I wanted to screenshot all the icon variations in the app to keep for my own archival purposes[1].

There were the “regular” app icon variations:

Screenshot of the default app icon variations from inside the “Apollo” app.

The “community pack” variations — “Icons created by designers in the Apollo community (and purchased from them by the developer)”.

Screenshot of the community app icon variations from inside the “Apollo” app.

And my favorite, the “ultra” collection:

Screenshot of the ultra app icon variations from inside the “Apollo” app.

Apollo was an authentic patron of the icon arts, and for that I extend my gratitude to Christian and the legacy he leaves with the app.