Mobile app icon might just seem a negligible factor in app development, but they may have a great impact on the user’s purchase decision. App icons are the very first thing that a user comes across while searching for an app.
Your goal is to make your app noticeable among the competitors. App icons play a major part in it. A well-crafted and clear icon can give the users an idea of you being a professional and your app being reliable.
Here are a few tips about how an app icon could be made creative and better:
1. Keep app icon simple and clear
A lot of colors or images make the icon visually crammed up. Even if there is a need for colors and graphics in it, try to keep the focus on the core concept of your application. Also, try to make a simple icon. Jamming up every app feature in a single icon wouldn’t look good for your app.
2. Keep app icon recognizable
Create an app icon that can easily become the face of your brand and makes you stand out in this overcrowded environment of mobile apps. Using a unique shape or symbol in the icon would make your app recognizable for the user. Using the first letter of your organization or your brand logo as icons are advisable as well.
3. Keep app icon scalable
Your icon should look great in different sizes, as screen sizes of devices vary. Android devices are available in huge variety as compared to iPhone devices. Therefore, their icon size dimensions are a bit complex. Apple and Google icon size guidelines should be considered before making an app icon.
4. Design your icon bold
To make a bold app icon, you must try some vibrant colors on a simple icon design. Using shadow effects in them could also make them visually appealing. The choice of color should be such that they look good on different backgrounds.
5. Use moderate text in the app icon
If you want to use text on the app icon, it shouldn’t contain unnecessary details. Usually, the text is not that much help in the app icon, but in some cases, it can do the job. But, keeping descriptive text on the app icon would dilute the overall impact of your app. Try to keep it limited to one or two words.
6. Create an app icon of high resolution
Your app icon is the first thing a customer will see of your application. If it is of bad quality or of low resolution, it wouldn’t make a nice impact on the users. The quality of your app icon to some extend signifies the quality of your application to potential users.
7. Keep your app icon as per your audience
Icons must be unique, attractive and memorable, but it should also work for your audience. You must know who is your audience and what will get them to tap on your icon. This is all the science needed for connecting with users through an app icon.
Clearly, these tips would surely help you in developing and designing icon for your mobile app. You can also read Essential things to follow while creating an app icon for your mobile app for more concise info on the topic.
To know, how to create an app icon, go ahead and check out the information shared below.
How can you create the app icons for all sizes with Makeappicon?
There are various app icon designers which conveniently develops icons for all sizes. Makeappicon provides one such platform which helps the designers, developers and project managers to make and resize icons for iOS and Android apps. It automatically optimizes the design of your icon and generates icons of all sizes required during submission in the app stores. Let’s see the complete process of how you can create icons for all sizes with makeappicon:
Step 1: Go to Makeappicon web page and choose the icon image which is to be resized. This web version of icon resizing is free of cost, but for offline (heavy) usage with improved functionalities, Makeappicon offers its paid version.
Step 2: As the image is selected for resizing, processing begins and it takes a few seconds to complete.
Step 3: That’s it! Your icon is resized in different sizes. You can download them now. Makeappicon resizes your app icon for both Android as well as iOS applications and classifies them according to Google and Apple app size regulations.
a) Icon resizing for iOS platform:
b) Icon resizing for the Android platform:
Step 4: These icons could be easily downloaded through your e-mail id. After entering mail ID, a few minutes later icons will be in your mail inbox in a zip file.
Final Words
One thing is clear that icons along with other factors of the app UI, like Splash screen and others, play a huge role in making your app popular and creating a brand recognition. So, whether you planning to hire an app development company or using a mobile app maker, make sure that the app design is taken care of. You are now a few steps away from making the coolest icon ever. Just make sure all the above-discussed points are considered before app icon’s creation and get a refined one for your application.
I am planning to create an app icon for my mobile app, so which other factors should I target for app icon apart from just designing?
Hi Martin,
Thanks for reading the article. Apart from designing and specifications, there are other considerable factors like testing, prototype etc. The following article will walk you through all of them:
https://www.knowband.com/blog/mobile-app/10-tips-for-creating-icon-mobile-app/
Thanks
Nice write-up.
Can you please suggest me how to create splash screens?
Thanks.
Hi Peter,
Thanks for your positive response on this article.
You can refer to this article to have some idea about splash screens creation:
https://www.knowband.com/blog/mobile-app/create-right-splash-screens-mobile-app/