Your app deserves the most appealing app icon possible. It is the symbol that represents all of the hard work you have put forth into making the perfect app. An app’s icon often also becomes part of the logo of your brand.
An app’s icon has a giant impact on the success of an app. Think about it for a moment. Do you have any frequently used apps on your device that have awful icon apps? Probably not. A well thought and designed app icon creates the perception of quality and trust. It is imperative to make an app icon that is visually pleasing to your customers.
Keep your app icon design SIMPLE
Apps icons are displayed in a very small format on mobile phone screens. Remember, not everyone has the latest and greatest iPhone 15! Many people still are using smaller, older phones that have lower resolution. That means your icon must look good at 500px and also at 32px.
Visually our eyes naturally track to clean, bold and unique symbols. App icons should not be cluttered with words or text. Our eyes and brains tend to avoid looking at things that are busy and not sharp. Make your app icon easy on the eyes by using very basic letters or symbols that represent your brand or the use of your app.
Make your app icon colors POP
The color of your app should closely match your brand’s colors. In fact, if you are a digital company – it is likely your icon’s color will become your brand’s primary visual symbol of your company.
Be sure you consider the color psychology of your app icon. A recent study on color psychology shows how colors influence our emotions when viewing app icons.
If you are curious about additional statistics on successful app icon design, MindSea has created some interesting charts based on successful app icon data. They even explain why purple and brown are the worst colors to use for your app icon!
Always TEST your app icon
App icons don’t only appear on your homescreen after installing the app. They appear in the App Store in a variety of sizes. App icons also appear as smaller version in some situations like on the “Share” screen of your phone. An app icon also will likely be used as a favicon on your website. These little favicons are tiny when displayed on the tab of your web browser. Be sure your app icon is recognizable and looks good at 32×32, 64×64, 128×128 and 512×512 pixel resolutions.