Before smartphones became the most world’s most common mobile device, mobile phones came in all sorts of colours, sizes and shapes. Nowadays smartphones typically take on a standard look: large screen, small edges and a single button at the bottom. In fact, they’re so basic and boring looking that you might even mistake a model or make the first time you lay your eyes on it.

For example, Google’s new Pixel Phone looks almost identical to Apple’s iPhone series at a distance. The only difference on the surface is that the Google Pixel phone doesn’t have a hardware button whereas the iPhone does. However, it does make up for it with an actual headphone jack, unlike the new iPhone.

To help remedy the boring industrial look of our smartphones, here are five tips to help you customise your smartphones and make them look personalised and special once again.

Phone cases

If there’s any style left in phone designs, it’ll usually come in the form of cases. Phone cases can be both stylish and functional depending on what kind of case you want to aim for. Put a Case on Me has a lot of information about how each case can help your phone, but the general consensus is that cases with beautiful designs and detailed images are more fragile than their rugged drop-proof counterparts, so it really depends if you want to have style of function.

Many websites allow you to customise your own cases or create your own designs, but these are usually very standard quality because of the printing process. It’s very hard to find a vendor that will print custom designs on their sturdier cases, so you’ll have to make some compromise.

Phone charms

Japanese phone charms are incredibly popular among teenagers and young adults. You can get cute figures, small plush toys or even jewellery that attaches to your phone to create a customised, although sometimes cluttered, phone with all your favourite characters and numerous cute charms. Phone charms are typically aimed at a female audience due to all the bright pastel colours, pink shades and charming designs, but you can also get standard shapes and patterns or video game characters.

Vinyl stickers

If getting a case makes your phone too bulky to fit in your pocket, then perhaps you can consider getting a vinyl decal or stickers to place on your case. It’s not a good idea to stick them on your screen, but the back case is fair game as long as it doesn’t cover up the speaker, camera or other sensors. You can purchase pretty much any standard sticker as long as it fits your taste.

Think of it like children’s stickers that they plaster onto almost any device that belongs to them. If you feel like you’ve put too many stickers on your phone, you can simply buy a new backplate for a cheap price unless it isn’t removable. You can even create custom vinyl stickers if you want to add an even further level of customisation to claim your phone as your own.