App icon, a graphical representation of the service or proposition a business tends to provide, is crucial for the success of an online business. Be it Android Play Store or Apple iTunes, with millions of applications uploaded every day, these stores have now become a crowded marketplace. Therefore, it is more important than ever for Apps to standout and make an impression on their prospective buyers. Read on as we take you through the need of App icons and why visual appeal must be the cornerstone of your App icon design.

1. THE RECIPE TO CREATE
A Perfect App Icon

2. Drawing an icon means to draw the
most typical characteristics of an object
so that it can capture the icon’s action
or represent the concept and nuance.
~ VU TRAN
“

3. DO YOU RECOGNIZE THESE ICONS?

4. CONGRATULATIONS!
you’re a savvy smartphone user.

5. BESIDES, YOU JUST PROVED HOW
CRUCIAL
THESE APP ICONS ARE FOR AN
EFFECTIVE
BRAND
RECOGNITION
IN THIS MOBILE ERA.

6. L E T ’ S L O O K I N T O
7 REASONS
WHY THESE
APP ICONS
ARE CRUCIAL FOR
YOUR BUSINESS
SUCCESS…

7. GRAPHICS ARE PROCESSED
60,000x
FASTER THAN TEXT
#VISUALISVIRAL R EASON 1

8. IT ONLY TAKES US 150MS FOR A SYMBOL TO
BE PROCESSED …
… AND 100MS TO ATTACH A MEANING TO IT.
*MS is milliseconds.
SUCCESS
INNOVATION
IDEA
GROWTH
#VISUALISVIRAL R EASON 2

9. OF OUR BRAIN
IS INVOLVED IN
VISUAL
PROCESSING.
50%
#VISUALISVIRAL R EASON 3

10. WE CAN GET THE SENSE OF A
VISUAL SCENE IN LESS THAN
1/10 OF A SECOND.
#VISUALISVIRAL R EASON 4

11. COLOR
VISUALS
INCREASE THE
WILLINGNESS
TO READ BY
80%.
#VISUALISVIRAL R EASON 5

12. WHEN IT COMES TO COMPREHENSION RATES OF MEDICINE LABELS
70% 95%
RATE OF
UNDERSTANDING
FOR LABELS
WITH
TEXT ONLY.
RATE OF
UNDERSTANDING
FOR LABELS WITH
TEXT AND
PICTURES.
#VISUALISVIRAL R EASON 6

13. PEOPLE FOLLOWING
DIRECTIONS WITH TEXT
AND ILLUSTRATIONS DO
323%
BETTER THAN PEOPLE
FOLLOWING DIRECTIONS
WITHOUT ILLUSTRATIONS.
#VISUALISVIRAL R EASON 6

14. In essence, ICONS make APPLICATIONS:
MEMORABLE
ACTIONABLE EASY TO PROCESS FUN TO SHARE
MORE CREDIBLE QUICK TO RECALL
EXCEEDINGLY ENGAGING

15. REASON ENOUGH?
LET US SHOW YOU HOW TO CREATE A
MILLION DOLLAR ICON.

16. 1. KEEP IT SIMPLE
Because SIMPLICITY is
ultimate SOPHISTICATION. A simple icon is
adaptable, memorable and quick to
grasp.

17. 2. CHOOSE COLORS WISELY
‘COLORS’ play a crucial role in Icon
design. Remember these:
• Use no more than 3 colors in an icon.
• No gradients. Period.
• The darker the hue is, the better your icon
will appear on different screens.

18. 3. GO OUT OF THE BOX
Icon design is all about ‘SHAPES’. Use
shapes that are:
• UNIQUE: Find a new shape or mix-n-match
different shapes to design your own.
• RECOGNIZABLE: Identifiable at a distance
and at a glance.
• SCALABLE: Reduce well and remain crisp at
any size.

19. 4. AVOID PHOTOS
Refrain from using real life photos in
app icons.

20. 5. USE AS LITTLE TEXT AS POSSIBLE
Stick to symbols, icons or brand logo
for your app icon. If you can, avoid
using text altogether.

21. 6. REMEMBER SEMIOTICS
SEMIOTICS is an on-going research of signs
and symbols and their distinct meanings. The
true test of an icon is to show it to someone
not linked with the project (without any
description) and ask them “what does this
mean?”.
If your designer friend and your old grandma
both are able to guess it just about right then
your icon is good to go.

22. BONUS
Get inspiration from our wide-ranging Free App icons at:
http://www.zilliondesigns.com/blog/freebies-icons
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