Icons for IOS and Android are graphics for a mobile application which are required to display the program on the screen of a mobile device. Almost all objects in the interface of mobile platforms are displayed using icons, as they simplify identification and visual search. An app icon, whether iOS or Android, bears on itself, the enormous responsibility of the search, presentation and promotion of an app, irrespective of the theme that it characterises on the user’s phone screen both prior to and after installation. Developing an app that people can’t resist downloading isn’t as simple as merely offering them something useful to their functionality. The appearance of the app icon is all it takes for the user to make a ‘take or skip this one’ decision; which makes it vital to make sure that your app icons are up to scratch and meet the technical specifications required to upload them to the App Store and Google Play.
Despite the small size, being the first image of the app that people see, the app icon should be in harmony with the interface and the nearby icons while maintaining its uniqueness as a part of the graphical cover of the mobile platform. However, it does not serve the purpose of the brand logo and is simply a branding graphic. In the past, app icons were designed purely with functionality and ease of access in mind, but today we know that a good app icon choice is based almost entirely on aesthetics. Research shows that 92.6 percent of people put the most importance on visual factors when making a purchasing decision. So, keep the following best practices in mind while designing your icon, and your app will be much more likely to attract your target audience.
When creating an icon for IOS and Android, the primary statute is to carefully read and follow the instructions from Apple and Mobile App development. In general, icon images for different app icons vary in sizes and number in availability as under:
1. IOS and macOS
• iPhone -- 11 different sizes and files
• iPad -- 13 different sizes and files
• IWatch – 8 different sizes and files
• mac -- 11 different sizes and files
2. Android
• Android – 4 different sizes and files
This explains how the preferences of styles, components, visual elements and animations are fickle between Apple and Android product designers. Simplicity is key to creating an app icon that’s memorable and recognisable. You will risk your app ending up blending into the rest if you do not take this into account and fewer people will be enticed to download it. The Spotify app icon is a great example. It is designed in two colours and a simple shape representing increasing speaker volume that immediately illustrates the app’s purpose as a music app.
A simple way to begin, while optimising maximal control on the design is to use a professional grade graphic design tool or a design software for creating the app icon such as photoshop or adobe illustrator. PicMonkey and Canva are both great for icon design. If you are not too snug around a graphic tool, there are also free desktop applications like GIMP (GNU/Linux, Mac OS and Windows) and Iconion (Windows and Mac OS).
Keeping this in mind, here are 5 tips to create App Icon:
1. Scalability – the icon of an app is a small feature and must be able to maintain its legibility despite the small size
2. Recognizability - Designers advise simplifying app icons to increase recognizability. Concentrate on an idea and get rid of unnecessary and repeating elements. Simplify doesn’t mean to make primitive. If the user can’t understand your idea, you can’t hook him, and he’ll move on to the next app.
3. Uniqueness – If you want your app to shine and stand out from amidst over 2 million apps in the App store and over 2.1 million on Google Play you must be willing to compete for the user’s attention. Let the app design be simple, unusual and in pursuit of originality.
4. Consistency – The app targets maximal number of audience and should demonstrate consistency irrespective of the number of times it has downloaded worldwide. No one will like he gets a different app than it is expected to be. Remove any components that may even be faintly misleading to the user.
5. Compliance with the guidelines – IOS and Android may seem to look the same but there are a lot of differences that prevent us from using the same app icons on both operating systems in terms of proportions, special features and visual techniques. Users are usually habituated to the operating systems they most commonly use.
Design your app icon in such a way that it will help attract potential customers.
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