Maxvoltar - iTunes Store Redesign

iTunes Store Redesign

Well, sorta.

Sometimes, the best way to refuel yourself is by working on something that will never see the light of day. A couple of weeks back, I did just that when I realized how outdated the iTunes Store interface looked. I spend 4 evenings on this, and don’t regret a single minute of it. Free to do whatever I wanted without restrictions.

Note: Besides putting the main navigation on top I didn’t change the structure, just took all the existing elements and gave them a fresh coat of paint.

When creativity is flowing, you shouldn’t neglect it.

48Comments

Kate Mag

4992 days ago

It’s refreshing. I think Apple should consider your design

David Hughes

4992 days ago

Looks so much better and much more Apple.

Oscar

4992 days ago

The navigation at the top makes it easier to navigate. Maybe apple will contact you about this. Good luck.

Paulo Pereira

4992 days ago

I agree with you. When working on something that’s not yours or your responsibility, you worry less with all the details and future problems and focus on experimenting and creating something unique without any regrets.

It’s really nice, Tim. Why don’t you send them?

Jordan Arentsen

4992 days ago

Very impressive. I like the idea of doing something for yourself, a creative outlet if you will.

Alan O'Rourke

4992 days ago

Nice job, i like it. The problem i have with iTunes is not its design so much as its lack of responsivness. It does not do a good job of telling you what is clickable, if it has been clicked and if it is doing something.

Tony Blessander

4992 days ago

Its been ages since I had the time to work on something just for the sake of keeping myself busy but I definitely agree that its a great idea to spend a few days here and there on something where you have total freedom to do anything you want.

I really like your version of the iTunes store and would love to see it in action as the current design is starting to feel outdated.

Craig McCreath

4992 days ago

I definitely like what you’ve done here and it’s a subtle change that would make a lot of sense.

The idea of working on something that isn’t yours but rather something you wish you had a little input into is a refreshing concept. Not only do you get to try new things, but you never know where they might take you.

Thanks for sharing Tim.

Spencer Fry

4992 days ago

Impressive redesign, Tim. I’m happy that you chose to only make slight changes than completely re-brand things.

Nico du Plessis

4992 days ago

Beautiful!

Andrew Wilkinson

4992 days ago

This is great! It might not work at this size, but it would be awesome to create some little CD/record cases with a gloss overlay for each album.

simurai

4992 days ago

Reminds me of Google Chrome. I like it.

The only problem with the horizontal navigation is.. You might run out of space and have to hide “less important” tabs. Maybe the user can rearrange them, that would be great!

Stefan

4992 days ago

I’m a fan!
What an improvement comparing to the actual iTunes Store. Feels like all the clutter is gone. I like the flow of this design, so much better than all the boxes with the blue background. Also nice use of tabs. Too bad you can’t change the theme of the iTunes Store.

Tim Van Damme

4992 days ago

@Paulo Pereira: Forgot their email address. sjobs@apple.com?
@Alan O’Rourke: You’re right. They could easily solve it with a small progress indicator or spinner somewhere…
@Andrew Wilkinson: I wanted to add some nice cases, but then realized that doesn’t stroke with the idea of selling digital downloads. When’s the last time you actually bought a physical album at the record store?
@simurai: “Less important” tabs would be grouped in the last tab (much like how it’s in Safari when you run out of space for new tabs).

Bannachan

4992 days ago

Good job, really like the detail on the nav bar.

My eye keeps getting drawn toward the background of the CD case-ish things in the music tab though, it looks like 4 horizontal columns (although it’s not obviously). Possibly blur the back line or lighten the backdrop?

Being pernickety though. Nice job.

Marcel

4992 days ago

Wow, I liked it too. Amazing job!

I agree with the others: you should send it to Apple.

John Sjöberg

4992 days ago

It’s overall a nice design, but I don’t like how “New Releases” is connected to the sidebars, nor how the sidebars fill out the whole width.

Isn’t white space a good thing in design?

eraevion

4992 days ago

So much more pleasant! Would love to see AppStore after lifting like that. :)

matthew

4992 days ago

Looks nice, my only immediate view would be that the horizontal tinted bar under the albums and album name and artist breaks it up quite confusingly.

Id be tempted to simply graduated it vertically so it went from white at the top to whatever it is now at the bottom.

I think visually it wouldnt seem so confusing then.

Pat

4992 days ago

My biggest complaint with the iTunes store is actually the lack of a fluid layout. It drives me nuts when there’s a horizontal scrollbar. So long as this design could expand/collapse better than what is currently there, I’d be more than happy to see this design (or something similar) implemented!

Don

4992 days ago

White space isn’t a term that should be taken literally, John. :)

Matthew Lowery

4992 days ago

I’m not sure about the Tabs, they don’t really appeal to me, but the rest is 10,000 times better than Apple’s. I think iTunes could take a lesson from Spotify. You know when you want to see info from an artist, you have to click that tiny little arrow? Spotify has the artist/album as a clickable link which is much easier.

Daniel

4991 days ago

Looks like I’m the only person here who thinks this is a step back. Looks far more cluttered and old fashioned.

Nice try though: I couldn’t have done it.

Michael

4991 days ago

I kind of feel the same way as Daniel. I actually prefer the current design. Although, yes, your design is a breath of fresh air, compared to the actual design’s color and tones, it feels like a Rhapsody theme.

But, to be fair, I’ve never been a fan of the blue color that is being using in the iTunes Store. Clearly, Apple should consider a new wardrobe in that area.

Eric Friedman

4991 days ago

Looks great – not too much of a change but a much needed refresh. I think speed is a major problem in the store and anything to increase that would be a big help (although that is a backend problem)

Victoria

4991 days ago

tabs are definitely a good idea.

Josh Pyles

4991 days ago

Looking good man! I’m glad you didn’t scrap the idea. I wanted to do this same thing at one point, but I never had the time.

Ralph

4991 days ago

Good job, it looks very slick, but what I’m really in love with is that background image. I hope this doesn’t sound offensive, but could you point me to it?

Jake Przespo

4991 days ago

You truly are an amazing designer.

On another note, that redesign looks like it is Apple’s style. Plus it seems like it would take the complicated side of the store out of the user’s face. Cool ideas.

TStorm

4991 days ago

Top navigation is a great idea. You know what I’d like to see in the iTunes store? A browsing history tab.

Andrew Cornett

4991 days ago

Love the tabs on top. Great realign, hope this inspires them to give it an update.

Carl Räfting

4991 days ago

I think the big improvement here, and what really makes a difference, is the use of whitespace, increased line-height, bigger tabs and clickable areas, increased margins, etc, it’s easy on your eyes and easy to scan. Keep up the good work, Tim!

P.S. Maybe you’ll end up working for Apple one day. ;P

Florian Schroiff

4991 days ago

It looks really much better than the real thing.

I saw this on Noah Stokes’ blog and thought Apple had released a redesign. Imagine my disappointment when I opened up the iTunes store and was greeted by the same shiny bars and uninspired typography.

About submitting this to Apple: They do not want any unsolicited submissions, but if you do submit anything it automatically becomes their property. See Apple’s Unsolicited Idea Submission Policy.

Waldemar

4991 days ago

Your mockup looks good. Far better than Apple’s design IMO. It’s a pain in the ass to browse Apple’s current iTunes Store.

nanochrome

4991 days ago

Your mockup looks A LOT better than apple’s design!

Tim Van Damme

4991 days ago

Pat: This design would actually perform really well as a fluid layout I think. Don’t forget you’ll always need a minimum width…
Daniel: It’s your right to dislike it. A design loved by everyone is a design without risks. And what’s more boring than that? :)
Ralph: It’s the default background image on Snow Leopard. Google’s your best friend.
Carl Räfting: Thanks for spotting the details :) I’m too much of an Apple fanboy to go work there, I’d be like “Hey guys, guess what cool new hardware I just saw?!”
Florian Schroiff: Too bad we can’t make a userscript to manipulate the interface… I’m not going to submit it, never was my intention.

Ralph

4990 days ago

Thanks!

Jon Henshaw

4985 days ago

Now, if we could only theme iTunes with your design. Definitely a nice refined design. I’d be curious to know if people found your design easier to use vs. the existing design. Regardless, well done! I like it a lot.