It all started when Ryan Callihan’s uncle gave him an account for Photoshop.
Ever since, Callihan has taught himself how to code apps that redesign icons on Android phones.
Since February, Callihan, a sophomore at the USF St. Petersburg, has used Photoshop to design the icons.
The apps that he creates have a flat, 2D look. He takes the images of popular icons and turns them into his own stylized images. He has created over 2,400 icons since he started. His first app is called Tyles and features squared off icons with flat imagery.
Ryconography is the name of his Google Plus account. He started posting his apps in February 2015. There are currently six apps associated with the account.
Callihan wrote this message about his Charge Icon app: “Charge Icon Pack is a truly flat icon pack that was created using a predefined color palette, incorporating bright colors that contribute to a beautiful viewing experience!”
He actively engages with purchasers of his apps. While his apps were new, he would redesign any app that was requested. He has been having a difficult time getting around to requests since they have become more popular. He can easily be contacted through his Google Plus account.
He also uses the Twitter account @Ryconography to communicate.
Alex Sorkin, a fan of the app, wrote a comment for the Charge icon pack on the Google Play store.
“…The artist / developer responds to emails personally and very quickly fills out requests,” Sorkin said. “Aside from a couple of icons without a background that clash with my wallpapers, basically every icon in this pack is fantastic.”
Downloading his apps are a simple process. Once the app is installed on your phone, all you have to do is hold your finger down on the app that you would like to change, and it will give you the option to select an icon pack.
Callihan is working toward a degree in mass communication. He hopes to write about new technology. These interests developed when he was in the Center of Advanced Technologies (CAT) program at Lakewood High School.
Learning Photoshop in the eighth grade allowed Callihan to design icons. He played around with the designs of icons on his phone. He draws the icons on Photoshop and then uses the coding that he has learned to put them on the apps.
Abduzeedo is a tutorial website for Photoshop. He used this website to teach himself how to edit the images of icons.
While in high school, Callihan took a coding class. The class scratched the surface of how to do coding. It gave basic knowledge that he could apply to the formation of his apps.
Callihan stays up all night working on his icons, and his passion for design shows in his work. He hopes to have more free time over the summer, so that he can develop new apps.
The free apps are the most downloaded. The app that he sells for $1.50 has been installed on over 1,000 phones.
The Google Play store has a three-strike policy for copyright infringement. It takes trial and error to learn how to avoid breaking any rules. Callihan had an icon pack taken down for a period of time when he first began uploading his apps.
Callihan is a full-time college student and tutors middle school students at Academy Prep in St. Petersburg. He primarily helps with math, but he also assists students in other subjects.
