KeyboardKit - Brand Redesign In Progress

KeyboardKit is getting a new icon! We’re moving from a glowing keyboard key to an abstract design with two Ks on a gradient background that carries over from the old icon.

The previous icon

The previous icon has been with us for a while. Designed by digital artist Matthew Skiles, it added a glass-like, glowing design to the original, plain keyboard key design.

While we absolutely loved this design, we have struggled with explaining what the A in the old icon stands for. All attempts to tweak it to better communicate KeyboardKit have been unsuccessful.

The new product icon

The new icon design takes a more abstract approach. Rather than having a literal key, it places two discrete, K-like glass-shapes on top of the gradient background from the previous icon.

This icon design lets us carry over the color identity from the original icon and stay true to our visual roots, while taking the brand in a new, exciting direction.

App icon variants

While the new KeyboardKit product icon is a colorful bundle of joy, we acknowledge that its colorful style can be distracting in certain contexts.

This is why we will tone it down for the KeyboardKit app - and instead let the same glass shapes be placed on a single color gradient.

This toned-down approach will let the KeyboardKit icon fit in better on the iOS home screen, while the original can still be allowed to pop in marketing material.

While this design is probably too plain, we will iterate on it to find something visually distintivtive for the iOS home screen, while at the same time let the app users switch to the colorful icon if they like.

Implementation

The new icon is a work in progress. We’re trying it out in the open rather than waiting for a perfect result behind closed doors, and we expect to tweak it as we see how it looks in different contexts.

As such, you may find that the previous icon is still being used in some places. We’ll update these as the rollout continues, and would love to hear what you think.