When Motorola first introduced the Moto X, then under Google’s wing, it was a huge disappointment. The device had been a victim of overhype that unfortunately didn’t live up to expectations. The phone was considered too expensive at $579.99 for the specs it came with, so the device faded into the background with little fanfare – for a little while, anyway. However, two things eventually changed the fate of the Moto X: A permanent price drop to $399.99 and the unveiling of Moto Maker.

Moto Maker’s release seems as if it had as much impact on renewed interest for the Moto X as the price drop did. After all, no other manufacturer had ever let people personalize their phone nearly as extensively as Moto Maker allowed. You could choose between black or white for the front of the device and a wide array of bright colors and textures for the back of the device. Users could also customize the color of the metal ring around the camera, the power button, and the volume rocker. Blue, yellow, green, red, orange, navy, black, white, pink, purple, and even wood and leather backs were a breath of fresh air from the typical black and white schemes most smartphones offered at the time.

Moto Maker would continue to make bold statements with the Moto X 2014, Moto X Pure, and eventually implemented in the 3^rd and 4^th generation Moto G devices.

Today, the state of Moto X is still under the radar and Moto G has taken on a more sophisticated design with aluminum backs. Currently, the Moto Z family of devices are the only ones that can be customized through Moto Maker, and only some of the devices allow you to choose from a limited amount of color schemes. The only colors available to choose from are black, white, gold, silver, and rose gold, all of which are colors that are commonly used across the board. Although you can no longer choose a different permanent color for the back of the device or the color of the aluminum trimmings, you can add a Style Shell mod or two from the six options currently available – none of which are very bold, and all of which cost you extra.

Although a new Moto X launch appears to be imminent, rumors don’t make it sound as if it will be returning with any of its renowned brightly colored options. Instead, the “Moto X4”, as it’s rumored to be called, will allegedly launch with an aluminum back, similar to this year’s Moto G5 and G5 Plus (soon to be G5S and G5S Plus).

I understand that there are probably constraints for the Moto Z with Moto Mods in the picture, and Style Shells seem like an acceptable alternative. On the other hand, the current line-up of Style Shells are all extremely plain. Wood, gray, maroon, and black are all perfectly good colors to include, but I’m surprised there aren’t more fun options to choose from as well.

I am a little surprised at the direction Moto G has gone. The internals of Moto G have always broken the stigma of what it meant to own a budget-friendly device, so it would make sense that the overall design of the device would break expectations of what a cheap phone might look like as well. On the other hand, I never thought the Moto G or Moto X looked or felt particularly cheap, even with plastic or textured designs. They were unique and had the potential to be fun – or not. In fact, it turned out that the most popular color option for Moto Maker was black. That’s the beauty of it, though. You could choose plain colors like black or white, or you could do something crazy like teal, yellow, red, orange, bamboo, cherry wood, or leather. If you really felt like tanking the resale value, you could get something like “#YOLO” (or in my case, “Swiggity Swooty” - not my best decision) etched on the back of the device. Still, it was something you made the way you wanted to.

Of course, there are still alternatives. You could always buy a case or a skin to liven things up, but Moto Maker gave it a professional and precise finish that consumers applying skins have a hard time achieving. With as many devices as Lenovo and Motorola are offering under the Moto name, I’m surprised that none of them have retained the bright and fun designs that were once possible with Moto Maker. Maybe one day it will make a return.