How To Design Perfect App Icon?

The icons are small, but they make a first impression; they are obviously how you get noticed in the market. The appearance of the app icon affects the number of downloads, communicates the functionality of the app and promotes your brand in the app stores. To make sure people don’t miss your app, design it according to best practices.

Design perfect app icon

Choose right tool

The starting point for any design is finding good software. When we talk about app icons, the most powerful tools are Photoshop, Illustrator and Sketch. Photoshop is good for raster effects like reflections and shadows, while Illustrator is popular for creating complex scalable designs.

Mind brand guidelines

When designing an app icon, most companies choose their logo as part of it and adjust it to square standards. It allows them to remain recognizable across mobile platforms. Icon design is an extension of the company’s design values, so use the same design language, align color palettes, fonts and app icon design elements.

Uncover function

Consistency is not limited to compliance with the brand book. The app icon should also be closely related to the functionality of the app. Therefore, we recommend referring to the likely experience of the visitor when downloading the application. This is especially effective when it’s an assistive app like a piano keyboard app or a whiteboard app.

Make sure the design is up to date

Many Instagram users were shocked by its controversial icon redesign. The fact is, trends have changed and it was time to flatten the old vanilla Polaroid and turn it into a radial gradient. Flat design became a reverse phase to skeuomorphic, and designers began to remove volumes and realism in favor of flat design. 

Check compatibility

Designers must keep scalability, size, format and style in mind. For style compatibility, you should refer to Android and iOS platform recommendations. When designing an icon for an Android app, the Material Design icon guidelines help create a cohesive visual interface with detailed documentation.

Test

• Testing on different devices to see how the icon looks in different resolutions.
• Testing at different sizes to see how the icon looks from small to large sizes.
• Testing on different backgrounds white, black, gray and other wallpapers and backgrounds.
• Competitive testing to check how the icon looks among other apps in the app stores.

Conclusion

A well-crafted app icon design will increase your conversion rates, so it’s important to keep it consistent, recognizable and up-to-date. And don’t forget to test the quality.