Their Forecasts Are (Not) Conventional

‣ Company: Andy Works LLC
‣ Founders: Andrew Allen and Mark Dawson
‣ Mission: To offer bold, eye-catching new takes on everyday apps
‣ App launched: 2021
‣ Team size: 2
‣ Go-to emoji: -⚫️^⚫️-

There are weather apps, then there’s (Not Boring) Weather, an Apple Design Award finalist that delivers its forecasts in a splashy, interactive, and very fun way.

“Checking the weather is an automatic part of your routine,” says cofounder Andrew Allen. “That’s what we’re interested in: How can we make those automatic actions more meaningful?”

What started as a simple idea to do things a little differently has grown into a whole (Not Boring) suite of apps—including a calculator and timer—each with an immediately recognizable visual aesthetic.

We talked to Allen and cofounder Mark Dawson about their inspirations, their fans, and why they prefer to stay out of the limelight.

How did you land on the (Not Boring) concept?

Dawson: As a small team, we had to ask if we wanted to compete on features when big teams are always going to have more features than we do. But design is something that’s difficult to copy. So what we have is a beautiful app with a very opinionated feature set.

What do you hope to accomplish with that approach?

Allen: Our hope is that software can be part of the cultural conversation—that it can have something to say in the way that film or videogames do. Even at their most utilitarian, something like your clothes, or even that chair, express something about the artist or creator. Wouldn’t it be great if the software we live with every day did that too?

Where do these inventive design ideas come from?

Allen: Aesthetically, we’re inspired by videogames. Like videogames, we try to create something that’s not measured on features but the experience you have.

Any genre of game in particular?

Dawson: I’m old-school—I like playing games that are very simple, but they have great sounds, interactions, and animations that just feel good.

You’ve been pretty low-profile as developers. Do you prefer to stay behind the scenes?

Allen: We’re both quieter, more reserved people. We’ve seen some success, and it’s a little like, “OK, that’s fine, but I don’t have to be in the spotlight regularly.” Some musicians have this approach as well. I think it helps the work stand more on its own.

(Not Boring) Weather

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Andy Works LLC is a part of the App Store Small Business Program. If you are a developer and would like to learn more about the program, follow the link below.