App Store
Relaunch
Role:
Art Director
Art Director
Client:
Apple
Apple
Year:
2017-2021
2017-2021
Context
In 2017, the App Store relaunched with its first major redesign since its introduction in 2008. One of the goals was to give Apple an editorial voice for the first time: handpicked apps and longer, more visual stories about app culture and developers, delivered through the new Today tab.
Today worked a lot like a digital magazine. It was curated to have a rhythm of stories through the week, mixing long-form features with shorter app recommendations, and led by cover-style stories at the top.
I was the first designer on the UK Today tab, working alone at the start, and was part of the original international team that built it. Over time the UK grew into a team of five under our Senior Art Director.
Challenge
The relaunch had to hold two things in tension. Apple's brand needed to feel consistent across every international market, but the content still needed to land with a British audience. That meant the tone, references and stories themselves had to feel made for the UK, without breaking from the global look.
The stakes were also commercial. The previous App Store was one of Apple's biggest money makers, so the redesign couldn't just look better. It had to match and, ideally, increase engagement, downloads and transactions.
All of this ran at pace, with four stories a day, seven days a week, and no existing processes, style guides or templates to lean on.
Craft
My focus on the App Store was the lead stories, the equivalent of magazine cover stories. Over four years I worked on 150+ of them, and each one needed original, commissioned work across illustration, photography, video and animation. I designed the stories, commissioned and art directed illustrators, attended and art directed photoshoots with app developers, and worked closely with animators to bring stories to life. I also managed an external agency on the design of the App of the Day and Game of the Day features.
To give the work a British voice while keeping it clearly Apple, we highlighted UK apps and developers, and I commissioned UK-based illustrators and photographers where relevant. I worked in close collaboration with the editors and often pitched story ideas of my own. I also took on cross-functional campaigns, including UK Black History Month, and big App Store priorities such as the London Games Festival.
Because Today was a completely new product, I worked with the US team to define the first processes, style guides and templates that kept the work consistent across markets, and played a key role in growing the UK team around them. As Apple built out its international design teams, I helped onboard and train the team in Korea.
Outcome
What we built for the UK Today tab became the template for other markets, including Australia and Korea. New teams were set up in each to repeat the same processes and the same editorial and design approach we had established in the UK.
Off the back of that work, I was given the opportunity to become International Design Lead for Apple Podcasts, with the brief to take the learnings, approach and vision from the App Store and apply them to the Podcasts relaunch.
Context
In 2017, the App Store relaunched with its first major redesign since its introduction in 2008. One of the goals was to give Apple an editorial voice for the first time: handpicked apps and longer, more visual stories about app culture and developers, delivered through the new Today tab.
Today worked a lot like a digital magazine. It was curated to have a rhythm of stories through the week, mixing long-form features with shorter app recommendations, and led by cover-style stories at the top.
I was the first designer on the UK Today tab, working alone at the start, and was part of the original international team that built it. Over time the UK grew into a team of five under our Senior Art Director.
Challenge
The relaunch had to hold two things in tension. Apple's brand needed to feel consistent across every international market, but the content still needed to land with a British audience. That meant the tone, references and stories themselves had to feel made for the UK, without breaking from the global look.
The stakes were also commercial. The previous App Store was one of Apple's biggest money makers, so the redesign couldn't just look better. It had to match and, ideally, increase engagement, downloads and transactions.
All of this ran at pace, with four stories a day, seven days a week, and no existing processes, style guides or templates to lean on.
Craft
My focus on the App Store was the lead stories, the equivalent of magazine cover stories. Over four years I worked on 150+ of them, and each one needed original, commissioned work across illustration, photography, video and animation. I designed the stories, commissioned and art directed illustrators, attended and art directed photoshoots with app developers, and worked closely with animators to bring stories to life. I also managed an external agency on the design of the App of the Day and Game of the Day features.
To give the work a British voice while keeping it clearly Apple, we highlighted UK apps and developers, and I commissioned UK-based illustrators and photographers where relevant. I worked in close collaboration with the editors and often pitched story ideas of my own. I also took on cross-functional campaigns, including UK Black History Month, and big App Store priorities such as the London Games Festival.
Because Today was a completely new product, I worked with the US team to define the first processes, style guides and templates that kept the work consistent across markets, and played a key role in growing the UK team around them. As Apple built out its international design teams, I helped onboard and train the team in Korea.
Outcome
What we built for the UK Today tab became the template for other markets, including Australia and Korea. New teams were set up in each to repeat the same processes and the same editorial and design approach we had established in the UK.
Off the back of that work, I was given the opportunity to become International Design Lead for Apple Podcasts, with the brief to take the learnings, approach and vision from the App Store and apply them to the Podcasts relaunch.
