The first moment that I got my first iPhone a few years ago I thought “This device is really cool, but what did they do to the interface?”. It just didn’t look like an Apple product to me. I was sure they would update this someday – but to my surprise nothing has changed so far. So I kept on thinking about what it could possibly look like. The elements I questioned the most are certainly the blueish, glossy top bar, the lined background, the black tap bar at the bottom with the shiny little icons and the keypad. Further I never understood why they – all of a sudden – started using Helvetica as the main typeface in the complete OS.

I have always wanted to see what it would look like, if the design orientated itself a lot more towards his big brother, Mac OS X – so this is basically what I did. The construction of the interface remains as it is. All I changed was the textures, the colors and some smaller modifications here and there. I also changed the font to Lucida Grande, which is the same Apple uses in Mac OS X. Interestingly enough, just a few days ago, I found an article in which the author comes to the following conclusion:

Also of note is Helvetica Neue, as a dedicated UI typeface it just doesn’t work. Each individual character is too similar in shape that also results in character ambiguity and it’s a fairly wide typeface. [...] Why did Apple choose it as their UI typeface for iOS? I would guess that they went for form over function for this one. Personally, I feel Lucida Grande would work rather nicely on iOS.

All I can say is: it really does. Take a look at the video and the images below and make up your own mind. I’m really satisfied with the result and I hope one or two of you may feel the same. Of course, feedback is very much appreciated!

And last but not least another thing to keep in mind: Mac OS X and iOS to become one?

You can get high resolution photos right here.
Also, I would like to thank the guys of teehan+lax for their amazing work on the iOS GUI PSD, which made this a whole lot more pleasant.


Video (Fullscreen and HD recommended)

Images of the UI

UI on a device

A few days ago I launched the new website of Vierkanttretlager. Check out the tour dates and the new song!

Artist: Casper / Director: Felix Urbauer / Location: Husum

Unfortunately it’s not possible to show the whole project and the concept, but this selection of images gives you a small overview what the tomhotel is pretty much about. The target audience are young people who are visiting Germany’s capital Berlin. Located at the S-Bahn station Ostkreuz the hotel is among Friedrichhain’s clubs, bars and cafés. Therefore music and nightlife, urban street art and community are central aspects of the visual concept.

For more pics take a look at behance.


Corporate Design