San Francisco-based graphic designer Traf was one of the first to jump on the idea of creating high-quality icons for iOS 14 users to customize their Home screens — and he’s reaping the benefits.
In a new blog post, Traf writes that it took him just six days to rack up 3,626 sales of his stunning monochrome icon set. Because he charged $28 for them, he made $101,528 — officially passing the six-figure mark.
It’s an interesting blog post. Traf, who Cult of Mac interviewed last week, describes his 2013 involvement in the jailbreaking scene. Making an icon set for the Cydia store represented the “first few dollars” he ever made online. “I think I made a total of $17, and it was magical,” he writes.
For me, the fact that Traf decided to charge $28 for his icons is pretty neat. Too often, the internet is a race to the bottom when it comes to pricing. For a creator to assert that, yes, their work is worth $28 and not, say, 99 cents for an icon pack is pretty refreshing. (Of course, as a casual look at Etsy will show you, those who are now creating their own rival icon sets are doing it at prices far closer to the latter than the former.)
Will Traf’s success last? Almost certainly not in a way that’s replicable for massive numbers of people. Spotting an opportunity and moving fast in an area with lots of potential customers pays dividends. I’m reminded of the developers who created the first games for the App Store. When the App Store first opened to developers, 28-year-old entrepreneur Steve Demeter created Trism, a sliding blocks game. Within two months of it going live, he made $250,000. But Traf’s success could help open up a more modest marketplace for innovative packs of icons.
For those who want to check out Traf’s wares, you can visit his website here. They remain some of the best iOS 14 icons I’ve seen so far.
