Design Your Mobile App Icon- Some best practices to follow

A clumsy mobile app icon design can push users away from the app. Thus, we have shortlisted a few guidelines for you. You can use these guidelines before you start the process of the app’s icon design.

App icons are the first thing that comes in front of the user while they search for an app. However, a dull icon can make the app look cheap and amateur. Thus, your mobile app icon design has to be good enough to make a good impression on the user as soon as they see it. But the important question is- how to make an app icon that will catch the eye of the user?

Well, it can be done by keeping an eye on the mobile app design best practices that keep evolving based on the latest trends. From 3-D icons to black and white, there have been many mobile design best practices in the market.

In this blog, we are throwing some light on the top app icon design guidelines. These guidelines will answer your question about how to design app icons in simple terms.

So, without further ado, let’s begin!

1. Make it eye-catching

You should always design an app icon by using some creative strategies. It is ideal to make the icon eye-catching so that your users do not forget it. You should take the eye-catching icons of top companies like Adidas, Nike, and Amazon, among others for reference. These icons make a good impression on the mind of the user and are easy to remember.

2. Do not use controversial symbols

Using controversial symbols will only give your app a disadvantage. Because you and your mobile app will face hatred from the opposite groups. Thus, the app’s icon design should always be free from political and personal agendas.

3. Keep the color contrast balanced

It is mandatory to use the right color combinations. For instance- Black and white are a good fit for each other. However, you also need to make sure that the colors you are using in making app icons are not harsh to the eyes. Many leading brands are using vibrant colors in their app icon design guidelines.

4. Avoid using words

Using whole words will not be sufficient for the mobile app icon design size. Thus, it will make the icon look too congested. Therefore, you should only use one or a maximum of two alphabets in the icon. Take Facebook or Shazam for example. They have icons with one alphabet.

5. Keep icons very simple

It is not ideal to use too many elements while making app icons. It can make the icon look dull. Thus, simple icons are not only easy to recognize, but they also represent the brand or the task well. While designing the mobile icon, you should try to keep the number of elements used minimum.

6. Take the help of a professional

Professional graphic designers or UI designers can help you in a better way for your mobile application’s icon. Not only that, but an experienced graphic designer can also suggest to you what users find more catchy and interesting. Thus, it is always a good idea to take help from a professional. It not only saves time but also reduces the chances of wasting resources.

7. Test your icon on various backgrounds

A mobile application’s icon is not the only thing you need to worry about while designing one. You also need to make sure that your app logo suits different backgrounds and environments. You can do that by designing multiple app logos and test them on backgrounds based on various app stores such as Google Play Store and Apple App Store.

8. Try using a business-related symbol

It would be a great idea to include a symbol while making an app icon that represents whatever products or services you offer. That gives users an idea of the features of your mobile app.

Key takeaways

These mobile app design best practices that we discussed above are based on trending mobile app design guidelines. However, with time, new strategies might come into existence that future developers will use. It is ideal to keep an eye on the latest trends on how to design an app icon.

Furthermore, before we wind up this blog for the good, let’s have a look at a few crucial points we discussed above to revise them.

1. The app design best practices suggest the app logo should be eye-catching and easy to remember
2. Controversial symbols will do nothing good for your mobile app, but just divide potential users into groups
3. Vibrant colors should be used in balanced contrast to make your mobile app more visually appealing
4. Using whole words might make the mobile app icon look congested, thus, it is not advisable
5. Simple icons are easy to remember and do not confuse the user
6. Professionals can help you in finalizing high-quality icons that users will love
7. Testing the app logo on various backgrounds can let you know if it looks good everywhere or not. Because even backgrounds might ruin the appeal of the icon if it does not match
8. Using business-related icons give a clear idea of the features of the mobile app

In the end, you can follow these guidelines in making an app icon for a reliable outcome that is suggested by top mobile app development companies. Moreover, you should not be dependent on only one type of icon. Before finalizing the icon, compare multiple outcomes and then decide. Well, that is all from the tips app icon you need to keep in mind while designing your app logo.