Android launcher themes for Samsung Galaxy One UI
To make these Android themes, I decided to use Generative AI. After comparing most of the image generators available, I mainly used Midjourney as it was the best in output quality and adjustment specifications. Dall-E 3 was used for some aspects of an experiment as well.
While key images were created by the AI, the amount of manual processing needed was still rather heavy. All icons, text, and numbers were also made manually, as Gen AI does not yield vector-accurate results or meet the required consistency.
There are three distinct themes: Totokiwi, Artemis, and Sansu.
UI, UX, Icons, Image processing
Totokiwi
Two Maltese: Mom and the son. Looking at the top paid themes currently, I've decided to do a cute cartoon style theme with the implied narrative of the dogs for popularity.
The challenge was that Generative AI at the time (and still is a year later) did not support editable vector graphics. Cartoon-style images do not scale very well for high-resolution displays, so, for all of the elements, I had to post-process them to convert bitmap to vector, then recolor, scale, and edit fine lines.
The challenge was that Generative AI at the time (and still is a year later) did not support editable vector graphics. Cartoon-style images do not scale very well for high-resolution displays, so, for all of the elements, I had to post-process them to convert bitmap to vector, then recolor, scale, and edit fine lines.
Creating icons with Generative AI presented too many problems: the generated images are bitmap; having consistent angles or thickness was impossible by prompts; generated images were often found to be the exact copies of icons on the internet.
Thus the entire process of creating icons was kept manual. In some instances, semiotics were prioritized for better recognition, in other times, I tried to make icons loyal to the theme that can't be found in different places.
Artemis
We have come to the age where even midship phones have OLED panels. To combat burn-ins and save battery life, dark-colored themes provide functional benefits, so a deep black space theme, Artemis, was conceived.
Phone usage tends to be sequential in that users go from lock screen to home screen to an app screen. Using this, Artemis presents a journey from the spaceship to a hotel on a planet as the user unlocks.
Sansu
Sansu is a Korean term for mountain and water, depicting a specific style of Korean traditional art. Using generative AI I could access this type of art I always wanted to paint. This also allows me to have a unique entry into the world of Android themes.