Android users have known this luxury for a long time. With the introduction of iOS 14, iPhone owners also can now enjoy the freedom to design their home screen. In addition to wallpapers and widgets, this also includes custom app icons.
A designer known by the name Traf has now made use of this new iOS 14 feature and opened up a new business field. He made more than $100,000 in a week after posting a tweet showcasing his collection of app icons on his iPhone.
But how did he get rich with it?
According to Traf, he produced “the right content, at the right time” and was boosted by tech YouTuber Marques Brownlee (MKBHD).
Traf noticed that there seemed to be a new trend on the web. More and more people are sharing screenshots of custom-designed iPhone home screens, which mostly have icons and widgets that are color-coordinated. This inspired the designer to publish his own simple and minimalist home screen and share it on Twitter. And the community was thrilled.
As Traf writes on his blog, people started asking about the icons in the screenshot shortly after the tweet. So the designer decided to sell his custom iOS 14 icons as a set. Since he had no idea what the price of such an iOS icon set would be, he decided to charge $28 per set. It was too expensive for many, but there were still plenty of buyers. Traf has now sold its design to more than 5,000 customers and has earned over $140,000.
However, on his blog, Traf also reiterates that he never intended to sell his icon sets and make money from them, and appeals to potential copycats who could try to take advantage of online trends like this to get rich. “Keep working at the things you enjoy, share them with the world, and letting the internet do the rest,” writes Traf.
