Design is not decoration, It's communication. Here is how we made sure every icon told the right story.

How Custom Icons Brought Libry's Interface to Life

When the team at Libry, a creativity-focused app, first came to us, they had a clear vision: an interface that felt imaginative, intuitive, and joyful. But there was one small problem: the emojis. Inspired by the clean, informal vibe of platforms like NomadList, the team initially used standard emojis for their in-app icons. But user feedback made something clear what was intended to be quirky actually came across as cheap. The icons didn’t feel like they belonged to the brand.

The Challenge: A Quirky Idea Gone Off-Brand

Libry's team had taken UI inspiration from NomadList, using emojis to represent features like writing, recording and editing. But early user feedback was clear: the interface looked cheap not creative. Our job was to help them rethink how they visually expressed creativity.

A Collaborative Approach to Magical Design

We worked closely with Libry's team to design a complete set of icons that felt right at home in their app. Every icon was customized to reflect both function and personality:

• The icons were built using Libry's secondary color a lilac-to-violet gradient chosen to reflect imagination and creativity.

• We added accents of green aperture for the camera, a green pencil stroke for writing, and a green play button for videos.

• That green was not chosen at random. It mirrored Libry's primary CTA color, guiding users naturally toward action and reinforcing consistency throughout the app.

Why Lilac to Violet?

Psychologically, lilac and violet tones are closely tied to creativity, imagination, and a sense of wonder. These shades helped create an atmosphere that felt more expressive and magical exactly the tone Libry hoped to strike with its users.

Tierra have expertly developed what I consider the most effective tool for serving my audience important content.

- Libry Team

The Outcome: Icons That Belong

The final result was a visual system that feels cohesive, branded, and deeply aligned with app's purpose. The new icons don't just look good. they support the user experience while telling the story of a product built for creativity.

The moment we switched from emojis to custom icons, it all just clicked. The UI finally felt like us.

- Libry Team