Alexa+ Icon Rebrand
Alexa+ Icon Rebrand
I was contracted through RUN Studios to support the Amazon Alexa+ team on a redesign of the Appstore iconography. The project was mid-stream: a previous designer had produced ~40 icons, but the set was inconsistent in style, lacked accessibility rigor, and was caught between the flat 2D Appstore look and the newer Alexa+ illustration system (gradient-based, minimal detail, tonal contrast). The team needed someone to re-imagine the set, align stakeholders on a unified direction, and establish standards that could scale.
I was contracted through RUN Studios to support the Amazon Alexa+ team on a redesign of the Appstore iconography. The project was mid-stream: a previous designer had produced ~40 icons, but the set was inconsistent in style, lacked accessibility rigor, and was caught between the flat 2D Appstore look and the newer Alexa+ illustration system (gradient-based, minimal detail, tonal contrast). The team needed someone to re-imagine the set, align stakeholders on a unified direction, and establish standards that could scale.
I was contracted through RUN Studios to support the Amazon Alexa+ team on a redesign of the Appstore iconography. The project was mid-stream: a previous designer had produced ~40 icons, but the set was inconsistent in style, lacked accessibility rigor, and was caught between the flat 2D Appstore look and the newer Alexa+ illustration system (gradient-based, minimal detail, tonal contrast). The team needed someone to re-imagine the set, align stakeholders on a unified direction, and establish standards that could scale.
Aug 12, 2025
CLIENT
Amazon Alexa+
CLIENT
Amazon Alexa+
CLIENT
Amazon Alexa+
Role
Graphic Designer
Role
Graphic Designer
Role
Graphic Designer
Service
Graphic Design
Service
Graphic Design
Service
Graphic Design
Work Details
Work Details
Work Details
My task was to audit, refine, and redesign 40+ icons, while creating documentation to future-proof the work. I had to balance conflicting inputs, Appstore’s original style vs. Alexa+ branding while solving for inconsistencies in stroke weight, canvas sizing, metaphor clarity, and accessibility. The deliverable needed to function both as individual icons and as parts of larger Alexa+ illustrations.
Action
Audit & triage: Reviewed all 60 existing icons and categorized them into three groups, minor tweaks, full redesigns, and unclear concepts needing clarification. Identified systemic inconsistencies in grid usage, stroke weight, and foreground/background separation.
Exploration: Partnered with Alexa+ art director and Appstore product designer to test 3–5 icons first, presenting multiple variations (flat vs. dimensional, outlined vs. filled) to align on the right direction.
System building: Defined standards for stroke weight, corner radius, grid size, and gradient application. Clarified canvas sizing differences across teams and recommended a more cohesive approach to white space and proportions.
Iterative batches: Delivered redesigned icons in small batches (4–5 at a time), allowing for detailed review, back-and-forth iteration, and “gut check” alignment with leadership.
Accessibility: Applied tonal contrast checking in Figma to resolve issues where gradients or overlapping elements created low-contrast visuals. Documented solutions to keep future icons compliant.
Documentation: Captured decisions, visual standards, and rationale into a lightweight style guide, ensuring the system could scale to 40+ compositions and future icon additions.
My task was to audit, refine, and redesign 40+ icons, while creating documentation to future-proof the work. I had to balance conflicting inputs, Appstore’s original style vs. Alexa+ branding while solving for inconsistencies in stroke weight, canvas sizing, metaphor clarity, and accessibility. The deliverable needed to function both as individual icons and as parts of larger Alexa+ illustrations.
Action
Audit & triage: Reviewed all 60 existing icons and categorized them into three groups, minor tweaks, full redesigns, and unclear concepts needing clarification. Identified systemic inconsistencies in grid usage, stroke weight, and foreground/background separation.
Exploration: Partnered with Alexa+ art director and Appstore product designer to test 3–5 icons first, presenting multiple variations (flat vs. dimensional, outlined vs. filled) to align on the right direction.
System building: Defined standards for stroke weight, corner radius, grid size, and gradient application. Clarified canvas sizing differences across teams and recommended a more cohesive approach to white space and proportions.
Iterative batches: Delivered redesigned icons in small batches (4–5 at a time), allowing for detailed review, back-and-forth iteration, and “gut check” alignment with leadership.
Accessibility: Applied tonal contrast checking in Figma to resolve issues where gradients or overlapping elements created low-contrast visuals. Documented solutions to keep future icons compliant.
Documentation: Captured decisions, visual standards, and rationale into a lightweight style guide, ensuring the system could scale to 40+ compositions and future icon additions.
My task was to audit, refine, and redesign 40+ icons, while creating documentation to future-proof the work. I had to balance conflicting inputs, Appstore’s original style vs. Alexa+ branding while solving for inconsistencies in stroke weight, canvas sizing, metaphor clarity, and accessibility. The deliverable needed to function both as individual icons and as parts of larger Alexa+ illustrations.
Action
Audit & triage: Reviewed all 60 existing icons and categorized them into three groups, minor tweaks, full redesigns, and unclear concepts needing clarification. Identified systemic inconsistencies in grid usage, stroke weight, and foreground/background separation.
Exploration: Partnered with Alexa+ art director and Appstore product designer to test 3–5 icons first, presenting multiple variations (flat vs. dimensional, outlined vs. filled) to align on the right direction.
System building: Defined standards for stroke weight, corner radius, grid size, and gradient application. Clarified canvas sizing differences across teams and recommended a more cohesive approach to white space and proportions.
Iterative batches: Delivered redesigned icons in small batches (4–5 at a time), allowing for detailed review, back-and-forth iteration, and “gut check” alignment with leadership.
Accessibility: Applied tonal contrast checking in Figma to resolve issues where gradients or overlapping elements created low-contrast visuals. Documented solutions to keep future icons compliant.
Documentation: Captured decisions, visual standards, and rationale into a lightweight style guide, ensuring the system could scale to 40+ compositions and future icon additions.
Design Solution
Design Solution
Design Solution
Delivered a refined set of 40+ icons that struck the right balance between Appstore uniqueness and Alexa+ brand consistency.
Solved core pain points around inconsistent sizing, contrast, metaphor clarity, and scalability — improving accessibility and usability across devices.
Created a future-proof iconography system with documentation and process notes that enabled ongoing consistency for new icons and larger Alexa+ illustrations.
Strengthened collaboration between the Appstore and Alexa+ teams by aligning two divergent design directions into one cohesive system.
Delivered a refined set of 40+ icons that struck the right balance between Appstore uniqueness and Alexa+ brand consistency.
Solved core pain points around inconsistent sizing, contrast, metaphor clarity, and scalability — improving accessibility and usability across devices.
Created a future-proof iconography system with documentation and process notes that enabled ongoing consistency for new icons and larger Alexa+ illustrations.
Strengthened collaboration between the Appstore and Alexa+ teams by aligning two divergent design directions into one cohesive system.
Delivered a refined set of 40+ icons that struck the right balance between Appstore uniqueness and Alexa+ brand consistency.
Solved core pain points around inconsistent sizing, contrast, metaphor clarity, and scalability — improving accessibility and usability across devices.
Created a future-proof iconography system with documentation and process notes that enabled ongoing consistency for new icons and larger Alexa+ illustrations.
Strengthened collaboration between the Appstore and Alexa+ teams by aligning two divergent design directions into one cohesive system.