Android icons get a Toy Story twist

Toy Story Android icons

The full set of Toy Story themed icons

Designing app icons is a tricky business. They don't necessarily have to follow the trend of flat design that currently seems to influence how apps look, but they do have to be distinctive and recognisable. On top of this, Leo Natsume had to give apps a Toy Story flavour in his latest project.

Toy Story Android icons

Buzz's character design cleverly echoes the Gmail logo

The Brazilian based artist developed these apps for Disney and was responsible for the creative direction, illustration and design of the icons. The result is a complete set of icons that make up a theme for Android mobiles.

Toy Story Android icons

TV star Woody is the perfect choice for the video player

Having previously worked with big names including Google and Coca Cola, it's no surprise that Natsume's design work showcases a clever attention to detail. For each icon the perfect character or image is used to reflect the app in question. Natsume even scoured spin-off Toy Story media to source the ideal imagery.

Toy Story Android icons

The sociable aliens represent the contacts list

Some app designs are so straightforward but the idea couldn't be bettered, such as the phone character from Toy Story 3 which is used for the call icon, whereas others were created with the help of a bit of lateral thinking. For example, Buzz Lightyear might not appear suited to the Gmail app on the surface, but by subtly tweaking his character design he becomes the perfect fit.

Toy Story Android icons

The phone character from the third film is used for the call icon

Natsume developed his designs from sketches in Moleskine notebooks and went on to create real projections of the icons in order to see how the colours and lighting behaved.

Toy Story Android icons

The camera was inspired by Zurg's X ray vision

All this hard work has certainly paid off as Natsume has created a distinctive and practical theme stuffed with thoughtful designs. The whole icon set can be found on Behance, where you'll also find other favourite characters such as Lotso and Mr Potato Head.

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Dom Carter

Dom Carter is a freelance writer who specialises in art and design. Formerly a staff writer for Creative Bloq, his work has also appeared on Creative Boom and in the pages of ImagineFX, Computer Arts, 3D World, and .net. He has been a D&AD New Blood judge, and has a particular interest in picture books.