A celebration of app icon design.

Two big hardcover books preserving more than 1,400 iOS and macOS icons, the history around them and the people who made them.

Get both books €138Look inside ↓
HardcoverWorldwide deliveryShips from Denmark

2hardcover volumes

1,400+indexed app icons

22artist spotlights

Worldwidedelivery from Denmark

A closer look at the art of app icon design.

Two large-format hardcover books about the icons that shaped iOS and macOS. The iOS volume follows the visual evolution of mobile app icons and includes a practical design primer. The macOS volume traces forty years from 1-bit pixels to Big Sur. Both pair generous icon galleries with historical context and 22 artist spotlights.

An open App Icon Book filled with curated icon artwork

Open the books and turn a few pages.

See why the books had to exist.

Both books began as independent Kickstarter projects. These short films introduce the mission, the artwork and the very long process of turning digital icons into something you can hold.

The macOS App Icon Book

Forty years of Mac icon design, preserved in print

The iOS App Icon Book

The app icon revolution, collected in one volume

See the finished books up close.

These unboxing films show the scale, binding, paper and holographic foil that are difficult to judge from a flat product image.

Unboxing The macOS App Icon Book

A close look at the black hardcover, foil and finished object

Unboxing The iOS App Icon Book

The white hardcover, page block and holographic cover in hand

Two platforms. Two very different histories.

Choose the icon world that means the most to you, or put the full story on your shelf.

The macOS App Icon Book hardcover

The macOS App Icon Book

A printed archive of more than 550 indexed Mac app icons. It follows the craft from the first black and white pixels through Aqua, skeuomorphism, flat design and Big Sur, with ten artist spotlights and a final chapter on icon sets.

550+ indexed icons · 10 artist spotlights

Browse the app and artist index →Buy the hardcover €69
The iOS App Icon Book hardcover

The iOS App Icon Book

A carefully curated archive of more than 850 indexed iOS icons. Alongside the artwork you will find a history of the form, twelve artist spotlights and my practical process for researching, sketching and rendering an app icon.

850+ indexed icons · 12 artist spotlights

Browse the app and artist index →Buy the hardcover €69

Digital artwork is remarkably easy to lose.

“I wanted to turn digital artwork into something tangible. Something ephemeral into something you can hold.”

Michael Flarup, from the macOS book introduction

Apps vanish. Their source art disappears. Older software stops running on current devices. Making these books meant tracking down artwork and permissions from hundreds of contributors, often years after the apps themselves had gone. The result is part art book, part historical archive and, hopefully, a source of inspiration for whatever comes next.

iOS Kickstarter ↗macOS Kickstarter ↗Press kit (ZIP) ↓

Photos shared by readers, designers and collectors who gave the books a home.

The iOS and macOS App Icon Books catching rainbow light on a wooden table
An open App Icon Book showing a detailed green icon gallery
The iOS App Icon Book beside a large LEGO display set
The App Icon Books and their printed thank-you insert
The iOS and macOS App Icon Books displayed among vintage Apple hardware
An open App Icon Book showing a red app icon gallery
Both App Icon Books held together in a reader's hand
The iOS and macOS App Icon Books standing together
The macOS App Icon Book resting on a wooden desk
The iOS App Icon Book displayed on a shelf in a reader's home

Shipping, formats and bulk orders.

Do you ship worldwide?

Yes. Orders leave from Denmark and the available options are calculated for your address at checkout.

How are the books different?

The iOS book follows the rise of the App Store and includes a practical primer on making app icons. The macOS book traces the longer desktop history and includes a chapter on replacement icon sets. Each volume has its own icon archive and artist spotlights.

Are they instructional books?

They are primarily visual archives, not textbooks. The iOS volume does include Michael Flarup's three-step design process and four useful lenses for judging icon work: scalability, recognizability, consistency and uniqueness.

What about taxes and import fees?

Taxes are handled according to the destination. Local import fees may apply outside the EU.

Are there digital editions?

Yes. The digital books are available alongside the hardcovers. Find them at flarup.shop.

Can I order for a team or school?

Yes. Studios, schools, libraries and teams can request a bulk order. Write to desk@pixelresort.com.

New books, editions and behind the scenes.

Occasional notes about the books and the work around them.

Remember the art that was. Inspire the art that comes next.

Get both hardcover books €138