William Shakespeare must have foreseen our current age, the era of technology. If not, why did he say, “What’s in a name?” When he had Juliet say those now classic and unforgettable lines in “Romeo and Juliet,” he said it with tongue in cheek. Uncle Will, like all of us here in the modern business world, understands just how important a name is.
That’s why your logo is so important, too. Your logo represents your business name. It should do this in such a way as to not confuse people who already use your brand. You can make subtle changes over time to improve it, but drastic changes are usually not recommended.
Some companies have gotten away with doing this, though. The key is to make sure you communicate with your customers along the way, so they know about the changes beforehand. Communication is the key to a smooth transition.
When it comes to mobile applications and software, how do you create the best logo for your brand? What should be different about your logo if you plan to include it in the mobile app market? Does it have to be vastly different from your main logo that you use on your website, for example?
These are the questions we will explore today in this post, and we’ll look at some best practices for creating logos for your mobile applications.
Getting More Downloads
The main purpose of having an app in the app stores is to get more downloads. You also want people to keep your app on their device. If they keep it on their device, they are more likely to engage in your brand on a regular basis and buy from you. Making your app interactive and engaging is important. But so is your app icon.
The Mobile App Mindset
Mobile app logos are called “icons.” There are many small versions of a logo that will be presented along with your mobile app in the Google Play, Amazon, Apple, or other app markets. They must be a certain dimension depending on the format and the outcome and which devices you want it to be viewable on.
It needs to be attractive and not too different from your primary logo while being compatible with the online app platforms.
Tips to Making the Best Mobile Application Icon
When creating your mobile app icon, here are some important tips to keep in mind:
- Make it unique and symbolic– Remember that you need people to instantly recognize your brand within the app market. So you need a symbol that will be easily recognizable to your brand without making it too detailed.
- Keep it simple– As with any media project, you should remember the end result and the purpose. What do you want to achieve with a logo in the app store? The main goal should be to get people to recognize your brand and download your app. So make it attractive but keep it simple and easy to get to.
- Letters only– Don’t try to put words on your app icons. It won’t work. Think about the last time you saw an entire word on an app? Netflix chose only to use an “N” in their mobile app to symbolize the Netflix brand. You can choose to use either a graphic or a letter but don’t try to put words on the icon.
- Make it colorful– Using vibrant colors such as red, purple, or blue may help you to get more downloads. You should make this consistent with your brand colors but study the meaning of colors and see if you want to include some of these colors in your logo.
- Test it out– Localytics.com recommends testing out your logo and app icon with A/B testing. This involves creating two different versions of your logo and seeing which one works the best. This will give you powerful insight as to which one is working best. It is recommended that you use the number of downloads as the ultimate litmus test as to how each one is doing. Then use the most popular one that gets you the most downloads. Because that is, after all, the goal.
Nextweb.com’s Tips for iOS Apps
Nextweb published a blog post giving some other great tips on how to create a great icon for the Apple store. It was based in part on tips from Apple on what is acceptable and what is not in the iOS Apple iTunes store. It’s important to understand what Apple wants with icons and app specifications because they are the pickiest platform when it comes to the requirements for posting in the Apple store.
Some of the tips mentioned were:
- Focus on a unique shape.
- Carefully select colors.
- Avoid using a photo.
- Avoid a lot of text.
- Accurately portray materials.
- Be creative.
As you can see, there is a pattern that emerges that can be a great takeaway for creating your mobile app and icon for the app stores. The proper use of colors, keeping it minimal and simple but creative, and creating realistic-looking materials within your app, are all good tips to creating the best app for your brand in the mobile markets.
Examples of Great Mobile App Icons
Logodesignteam.com has been creating stunning mobile app and icons for businesses for a long time now. We have quite a portfolio of examples you can look at for inspiration or ideas. Check out these mobile app examples for gaming icons to get an idea.
You will notice that we do break the “rule” that you read in our source posts about how you should avoid writing out an entire word. However, these examples were designed for games, so it is necessary to write out the full name in these cases.
When it comes to your brand, we recommend using a simpler approach and making your logo more symbolic, such as with these examples.
That being said, we have a very creative team, and we don’t follow any certain rules to create your logo or mobile app. If you have an idea you’d like us to do, just let us know, and we can create what you want.
Our approach is a highly-customized approach that considers what you want to communicate to your target audience. If you want the entire name on your logo, we can do it. Just make sure and specify that you will be putting the logo on the mobile market, so you will need a condensed version for the app market.
If you are creating a logo for software, we may take a slightly different approach to creating your vision for your branding.
Whatever the case, we can help. Visit our website at Logo Design Team and check out our portfolio and see for yourself the many different designs we have done. Then contact us for a free quote. We would love to visit with you and help you come up with a winning design for your app that will get you more downloads and turn visitors into customers.
Remember that your logo is important, but you need to get it in a format that is compatible with the many types of devices and platforms for mobile devices. Google requires this and you should too.
What’s in a name? Everything. So start today to create the perfect app for the mobile market and get to your mobile customers today with your message.
Fresh ideas. Thoughtful design. Measurable results.
Let’s design something great together. Contact LogoDesignTeam here!
