Typography is a key design element across all Apple platforms, supported by customised fonts that are included specifically for user interfaces across iOS, macOS, watchOS and more. Starting with the San Fransisco typeface introduced in iOS 9, Apple has iterated on the standard font to include support for compressed and expanded variants, as well as introduced new typefaces to support monospaced, rounded, and seriffed fonts. As well as different visual styles, Apple platforms have a set of built in semantic font types, allowing fonts to be chosen based on their purpose, rather than specific point sizes. This allows fonts to automatically update to match the user's preferred text size settings - a feature known as Dynamic Type. It is this feature that has seen an update in iOS 17. Read more…
As of late, Apple has been making use of a wider range of fonts in the apps that it ships with iOS than it has in previous years. This began in iOS 12 when support for Apple Card was introduced in the wallet app. A rounded type face, similar to that used on Apple Watch, was used in several places throughout the UI. Read more…
From a design perspective, one of the most exciting changes introduced in iOS 13 was the inclusion of SF Symbols. Read more…
A great user interface doesn't just look great - it has to feel great too. In Part 1 we looked at ways to develop the look of a user interface, but this only considered the static design. Today we will focus on how to refine our UIs to provide a great dynamic user experience. Read more…
For indie app developers, user interface design can often be the hardest part of developing an app. There is no formal logic, or provably correct way to go about designing a UI, so creating compelling user interfaces that are beautiful (and hopefully delightful) as well as functional can be a tough hurdle to clear. Worst of all, our instinct to get stuck in and start coding is easily the most inefficient way to go about testing different ideas of how a user interface should look and feel. Read more…