Have you ever wondered how successful the icons of popular mobile apps are? A recognizable style, a branded color and no unnecessary elements. Recognizability allows users to sort apps not only by functionality but also by icon colors.
So how do you design icons for apps?
Reading: How to create an app icon
Creating an app and finding a name for it are very important processes. They come to the fore and overshadow the app’s icon. But based on the image, users will identify your app.
Let’s understand how to create an app icon and what techniques can help?
What is an app icon and why is it important?
First, let’s give a simple definition of an app icon. It’s an image on your phone’s desktop or menu that lets you open an app with a single touch. Icons differ in brightness, shape and logos. Take a look at your smartphone’s desktop. Check out how simple and clear the mobile application icons are. Your icon can also be simple and pleasant for the user. Keep this in mind when creating an app icon.
Why is the icon so necessary? It does not affect the functionality of the application in any way; it just gives you easy access to it. Many applications are installed on the smartphones and tablets of the modern user. Critical applications are used regardless of their icon. That’s fact. Still, the icon is one of the factors that make an application necessary.
To get lost in the multitude of programs on users’ devices, you need to stand out. The symbol must be both simple and recognizable, and this is not an easy design task.
10 Tips for Designing an App Icon:
If you are in the process of designing an app icon, we have collected 10 simple tips just for you.
Leverage the expertise of the experts to create the perfect icon for your app!
1. Use a unique shape or icon
Depending on which platform you are developing your app for, you need to consider its shape. On iOS, all icons have the same square format, but on Android devices, for example, you can experiment with the shape. The unique icon can be your application’s or company’s logo, or a recognizable element of it.
Do you know Twitter? It uses a unique symbol, which is a bird. The little blue icon with the bird is very easy to remember and you will hardly confuse this social network with any other. Think about it – maybe you can use something similar when creating an icon for your app?
2. Make it simple
All popular app icons are as simple as possible. You don’t have to be too innovative and use all the design tricks. Save them for creating the app mockups. If we talk about the image of the application on the desktop, then it should be reduced to one or two recognizable elements. No more than that.
3. Don’t use words
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Don’t use the application name on your icon. Why? First, because most devices automatically sign apps. There will be a title below the image, so why waste valuable logo space with a name?
Secondly, you need to make the icon recognizable. To let users know it’s your app without seeing the app’s name. It is the main task of the designer. It’s up to him to create a memorable element for the icon.
4. Choose vibrant colors
How to create your own app icon? You have to take many things into account. Here’s the next tip.
Most mobile users use a dark or light theme. So unless your icon is brightly colored, it just blends into the design. And on the contrary, you need to attract the user’s attention more. To do this, you can use your company’s brand colors or another color that contrasts with one of the themes. Also, this color should be associated with the functionality of the app.
Here we also have the name of the application on the icon. Of course there are exceptions , like the background color is black or white, like the TikTok logo, but this is rather an exception, and besides, the icon looks very contrasting with the application name.
How to create your own logo app? For example, social network icons have blue elements. You may have noticed this when you organize apps by folders. These are Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Telegram, and others. So if you have a social network, they all Reason to use blue for your logo and mobile icon design.
5.A/B testing different versions
Few people manage to create the perfect application icon create The first attempt, so in order to fix all the errors before starting, we recommend that you try different ones variants to test.
See how they appear for different operating systems. Is it easy to find the icon among other similar apps? Use marketing tools to run your tests.
If you already launched an icon and after a while you get an update, that’s no problem. Many popular apps occasionally improve their icons, so as you can see this is a fairly common practice.
6. Don’t overload the icon with color and detail
We’ve already talked about simplicity, but we thought we’d make it a bit clearer. If you use a lot of small details on your icon, you only complicate the user’s perception. Try to focus on one element that tells your app’s story without words.
Your app’s icon should be identified by a word. Snapchat yellow, Facebook blue, Uber black. Using multiple colors at once makes it harder for the user to remember you and distinguish you from your competitors.
7. Check out your competitors’ app icon designs
How do you create your own app icons? Don’t confuse inspiration with plagiarism.
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If you notice that your opponents have changed their app icons, you need to analyze how and why they did it. By analyzing your competitors, you can determine which chips are already on the market. You can get a lot of new ideas and incorporate them into your icon. It is also very helpful to learn from the experiences of other companies.
By analyzing your competitors, you can get inspiration and new ideas and avoid mistakes when creating an app icon. You can analyze a niche and determine which logos look good as app icons and which ones you should change. This is how your opponents can help you! Analyzing your competitors gives you inspiration and new ideas and a chance to avoid mistakes when designing an app logo.
8. Showcasing your app’s look
That’s a tougher task, but one we need to talk about. The design of the icon should match the functionality and usefulness of the app. It’s a way to visually convey the right message and call to action. Try to create a chain of associations.
In other words, your app’s icon should align with your brand color, message, and business goals. You can ask people you know to rate how much they associate the app icon with popular businesses. The icon is what users remember. So you need to work with a designer to create an app logo that will help communicate with your customers.
It’s not easy, but if you pay enough attention to it, your icon will be an extension of your communication strategy for communicating with your customers.
9. Make it recognizable
To stand out from the competition, you need a recognizable style. Check out the logos of popular apps. The easier an app icon is to recognize, the more downloads there will be across all platforms.
The designer’s job is to make your icon as memorable and to make it recognizable among your opponents. To do this, you benefit from the tips app icons already mentioned, e.g. B. Competitor analysis and testing.Only through comparisons can you understand how successful your application icon is.
Recognizable is unique. If your icon is not recognizable, all further efforts are in vain.
10. Make it platform specific
Depending on which platform you are developing the app for, you should pay attention to the features and requirements. Icons for iOS and Android differ in size, format, and legal form. So don’t try to use the same icons for different operating systems.
How to create an app icon? Study the requirements. Show your phone. Create a similar image on different devices while fulfilling all the rules of the operating system. It’s not difficult if you solve the problem with your designer or hire a web application developer.
Conclusion
A mobile app icon is a important tool for achieving your company’s goals. If you take full advantage of this tool, you will reap many benefits and be able to interact with your users even more effectively. However, neglecting the icon turns out to be a conscious refusal to make it easier to achieve your goals.
Get inspired by our tips on how to create an app -Icon design. The better the icon, the more downloads you get in online app stores! We hope these simple, practical techniques can help you achieve your marketing goals.
If you’re inexperienced in creating your own app icon, we at Fireart Studio are happy to help you create one great and recognizable symbol. Contact us to hire dedicated mobile app developers in a convenient way and we will discuss your project in detail! We have years of experience in creating successful designs that can also be useful for you.
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