When I got my Palm Pre in October of 2009, the only thing that disappointed me was the lack of apps in the App Catalog and how few of the apps in the catalog looked very professional. I often would see new apps and think to myself, “Gee, I could make an icon that looked better than that!” Considering how beautiful the apps that came with the phone were, I assumed that anyone who developed a decent app for WebOS must have at least some basic graphic art skils.

At first, I rarely downloaded even a free app if the icon didn’t look sharp. I never even considered buying an app that didn’t have a gorgeous icon. I don’t remember when it was or what app is was, but at some point I remember downloading an app that had a crappy looking icon because the reviews were so high. When I opened it, I was surprised at how clean and professional it looked. I guess I was expecting something that looked like one of those dollar rack, DOS floppy disc, shareware programs that they used to have at the grocery store.

Since then, I have been a little more forgiving to app developers with crappy looking icons. I still hesitate before I will buy an app that has a crappy icon, though. The more apps I bought and downloaded, the more I started to wonder how and why developers could make great looking apps that had ugly app icons.

Recently, I found out how and why it happens. I didn’t know it before, but when I started working on my first WebOS app last week, JTA Bus Schedules, I realized that most of the beauty of WebOS comes from the user interface APIs that come built into the operating system. So, anyone who knows java and html can make a beautiful looking app, even if they have never even opened Photoshop! But, alas, WebOS doesn’t come with a logo maker. To make a great looking icon for that beautiful looking app, the developer needs to know a thing or two about graphic art.

So, how about I put my money where my mouth is? I know that there are a lot of developers that can write apps a heck of a lot better than I can. However, I can make app icons that look a heck of a lot better than some of the ones that are in the App Catalog. So, if you are an app developer, and your icon looks less than sparkly, let me help you. If you have a free or homebrew app, I make you a new icon for free. If you have a pay app, I’ll still do it for, but it would be nice if you threw some cash at me. For the record, I’m not in it for the money; I just want to help out the developers that are making kick butt apps, but may not necessarily have the graphic art skills to make a sharp looking icon.

So, if you are interested, let me know. Hit me up at appicons at rayhollister.com. Or send me a tweet @rayhollister.