Technology Tablets
DenPhotos/Shutterstock
ByMike Shutt/
The Apple aesthetic has such a uniformity to it. If you are someone who uses a lot of Apple products in your day-to-day life, such as an iPhone, MacBook, iPad, and Apple Watch, it can be a comfort to see the same icons and design across all of your devices, but it can also be a little draining. No matter which device you are looking at, it all blurs into one big Apple look that you are unable to escape from. Sure, you can change the wallpaper on your device or rearrange the apps in a slightly different order, but that isn't a major departure from the overall Apple look.
It doesn't have to be this way, though. There are ways of varying the aesthetics of your Apple device, and for a device like the iPad, with its larger screen, it can be a welcome sight to see some new colors, icons, and designs. Artists on websites like Etsy, Gridfiti, and more have taken the time to create downloadable themes to change the look of your iPad screen. This doesn't just extend to the device's wallpaper; the apps, colors, shapes, and layouts all have different looks from the traditional Apple style. If you want to give your iPad a new look and have installed iOS 17, here are some suggestions on which to give a try.
Gridfiti Fall
For many people out there, autumn or fall — whichever term you want to use — is the best season of the four. We are finally relieved of the abrasive heat of summer, but we have not been overtaken by the brutal cold of winter just yet. We get to enjoy holidays such as Halloween and Thanksgiving and finally get that extra hour of sleep back when the clocks turn back. Not only that, but the colors of fall are so beautiful with so much warmth. Browns, oranges, burgundies, and yellows just make you want to put on a nice flannel or a light jacket and walk through a park as the leaves come off all the trees around you.
You don't have to wait for fall at the end of September anymore, though. You can have fall all year long. Well, on your phone, you can. One of Gridfiti's iOS app icon packs — which works for iPad as well as iPhone — is themed all around this wonderful season. No more are the saturated blues, greens, and purples of your traditional iPad screen. Now, everything can be transformed into a warm, soothing, pleasing-to-the-eye fall color palette that won't put nearly as much stress on your eyes as you stare at the screen. For those needing some everyday comfort, this is a perfect solution at just $10.
Gridfiti Black & White
Let's say you want your iPad to be as sleek as possible, with a monochromatic screen that removes any clashing of colors. Gridfiti has you covered on this front as well. Also, for $10, the company offers a Black & White App Icon Pack where you can essentially turn your entire screen into one color. This is a customizable icon pack, though. You get to choose from four different variations of this monochromatic style with ash and charcoal to go along with the obvious black and white.
If you like the look of one color scheme, you can apply that throughout every page on your home screen, but if you want to mix and match the four styles, this pack allows you to do that as well. After all, looking at one color all of the time could be a bit draining, and you may need some variety. Like the Fall Icon Pack, the Black & White Pack is compatible with iPad and iPhone, so you could do that too if you want to make your iPad black and your iPhone white.
SanArtStudioo Purple Neon
The last two app icon packs were pretty easy on the eyes. That is not the case with the next recommendation, which is pretty much the opposite. For some, maybe their iPad home screen isn't working for them because it lacks pizzazz or in-your-face quality. Well, SanArtStudioo on Etsy has created a design for your device that you will not soon forget called Purple Neon.
This design dispenses with traditional app squares in favor of floating icons, which still feature the name written below, and all of the logos have been made into purple neon outlines. The logos are bright and stick out against the deep purple wallpaper. This design will not be for everyone, but if you are looking for something bold and unusual, this SanArtStudioo pack certainly delivers on that. As of this writing, the pack is on sale for a mere $2.95, though its normal price of $4.54 is still significantly lower than the previously mentioned Gradfiti packs.
Screenary Spooky Evenings
Are you a big fan of the album cover for Phoebe Bridgers' debut album "Stranger in the Alps" from 2017, featuring a cute, basically constructed ghost on the cover? Well, then, this may be the app icon pack for you. This Spooky Evenings iOS pack from Screenary on Etsy isn't directly taken from Bridgers' album, but the ghost motif feels inspired by it. The color palette here is far more autumnal, pastel-focused, and comfier than the more saturated album, so this pack would be perfect for those who do not want to deal with severe eye strain.
This pack uses a lot of peach, white, and shades of green to create a rather pleasant look. Plus, the addition of some ghosts and pumpkins will be perfect for those who love Halloween but like the lighter, more fun side of the holiday rather than the scarier, more gruesome sides. The actual colors of the icons alternate between green and black, so it may be a tad confusing as to which app you select without paying attention to the logo. However, the longer you have the pack, the quicker that adjustment will come. As of this writing, the Spooky Evenings pack is 50% off at $7.97 from its normal price of $15.95.
Laconic Earthling Shop Renaissance
Perhaps you want to blend the modern and the classic. You have become bored with technological things looking as up-to-the-minute as they can be and long for the aesthetics of the past. There is an app icon pack out there for you, too. Laconic Earthling Shop on Etsy has created an iOS design inspired by one of the most fruitful artistic periods in the world's history, the Renaissance.
Aptly called the Renaissance Aesthetic App Icons Pack, it transforms your iPad's look into something that could have been designed by Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, or Caravaggio. Working with a palette of mostly whites and browns, this is a clean, precise, and beautiful overhaul of your iPad's look. While most Renaissance paintings can only be seen at a museum or if you are overflowing with cash, the Renaissance Aesthetic App Icons Pack will cost you just $6.74.
Gridfiti Jordan Sneaker
Last but not least, we have one of the most unique iOS app icon packs out there. This one doesn't just change your iPad screen's aesthetic or art style; it completely upends how you identify your app icons. Bringing us back to Gradfiti, this is called the Jordan Sneaker App Icon Pack, inspired by the legendary basketball shoe line from Nike and Air Jordan.
The biggest overhaul this pack does with your iPad screen is removing all of the traditional logo looks from your apps. In their places, you will see a picture of a shoe, and just from the different models of shoes and the colorway, you will be able to tell your apps apart from each other. For instance, instead of the normal YouTube logo, you will see a picture of the classic Air Jordan 1s in the traditional Chicago Bulls red, white, and black colorway. For sneakerheads, this could be a lot of fun. For others, it could be enormously frustrating. Either way, this $10 icon pack is unquestionably unique.
Recommended
