While most of us are excited about the new iOS from Apple, the design especially the look and feel of the new set of icons received mixed reviews mostly from designers. iOS features a more minimalistic and flat look, throwing away the skeuomorphic design of the previous versions with new color palette, typography and new features. Apple eliminated a lot of tricks with this design outline. The use of gradients combined with minimalist style on the icons making it brighter, flatter and pastel-like is the most notable change that the design world has been conflicting about.

With the conflicting thoughts about the iOS design, some designers have done some experiments and created their own take on what the iOS design should look like. Talented designers can better integrate flat-designed items into the overall Apple interface, they redesign the iOS in a more pleasant style. The goal was to make the design more detailed, cleaner and more coordinated using the same design direction and the overall look of the new iOS. The result, a better redesigned home screen UI design well applauded by fellow designers.

For those that don't like the look of the new icons, at least partially, we've put together a roundup of 15 beautiful alternative icon sets and concepts that will make you wish these designers worked at Apple.

Home screen redesign concept for iOS

iOS icons by Alexandr Nohrin

iOS Springboard Redesign by Doney den Ouden

If the new Springboard looked like this, I'd be way more inclined to like iOS. I'm probably kinda late to the redesign party, but hey, I like to take my time to add the finishing touches :) Redesigned every icon from scratch (except Photos) and tweaked the Dock, labels and statusbar elements.

iOS Redesign by Leo Drapeau

I just couldn't resist redesigning the icons and the Home Screen UI of this newly launched iOS beta. So, I kept the same design direction, the overall look and fresh feel to it, but trying to make it look more detailed, coordinated and just cleaner. Also, I kept the old iOS border radius for the icons (the new standard doesn't feel right to me), and also the old items on the right of the status bar.

iOS Reimagined by Zane David

After a sleepless night recreating the iOS AirDrop pop-up, I decided to spend some time tonight working on my own version of the iOS icons before I hit the hay. There has been a lot of talk about a "backlash from designers," but personally, this is just an excuse to have some fun and recreate something that reflects my own personality. I'm looking forward to seeing what inspires others. Enjoy the concept and let me know what you think!

Forma Studio

This next concept by Forma Studio is different than the rest, and perhaps the flattest of the group. These icons have washed out colors that are definitely not as bright or vibrant as their iOS counterparts, with matching designs between the iBooks and Newsstand and Calculator and Notes icons respectively.

iOS - Redesign by Dmitry Kovalenko

iOS - Home screen redesign. New icons via new Apple's GUI, but with previous icon size and corner radius.

iOS Icons by Jackie Tran Anh

iOS by JustD

I think even the idea of having shadows to even refer to depth like objects in real life have depth is out of the question now. I think iOS is trying to eliminate that prerequisite completely.

Ios Concept by Ariel Verber

Ariel Verber is an experienced designer that has been using Photoshop for over ten years, and this is his take on how the iOS icons should look. I'm a huge fan of the color palette and consistent design language across the icons. Unfortunately, that clock widget at that top of the home screen is something I don't think we'll see from Apple in the near future.

iOS alternative Icons by Carlos Gavina

iOS Icons Redesign by Ida Swarczewskaja

In case you didn’t know, the new iOS icons are vector-based designs. So, as pretty as most of the concepts above might be, it’s a little more accurate to have a vector icon redesign like this one. Designed by Ida Swarczewskaja, these icons were created with Sketch and deliver a more refined feel to the current iOS icon set.

This is my take of iOS icon set. Jony Ive brought us a fresh icon concept, but... unfinished! Icons are all vectors, and this time I used Sketch instead of Adobe Illustrator.

iOS Icons by Matthew Skiles

This concept design by Matthew Skiles is perhaps closest to the current look and feel of the iOS icons, with a more simplified appearance and slightly different color scheme.

iOS Redesign - Again by Michael Boswell

I think this usage of color, space, iconography and typography is a simple, cleaner and more effective solution for iOS's home screen.

IOS Concept MCASE by Alexis Jossart