Wondering what it takes to make a successful iPhone icon? We've covered making an iPhone app pretty extensively (see links at the bottom of this article), but the cherry on top is really the icon. It's what people see first before they see any app content and if it's not good, your target audience is going to launch your app with lowered expectations. So, here's what two experts had to say on creating a great iPhone app icon.
Site: iconiza.com
Creating an iPhone icon is not to far away from designing a logo for a company or brand. Of course the process is somehow simpler, but similar things should be taken into consideration.
Simplicity, creativity and a clean design are good practices when conceptualizing an image that represents something in particular and that has to look great in a small size (57 x 57 pixels).
It's also a good practice not to include words into the icon, since they might not be readable when showing them on your phone's screen. But what if my brand/logo has a great amount of detail?. Well, detail is not "forbidden", but it has to be used carefully. Complex details might result in a mess when scaled down to the default size of an iPhone icon. In most cases, if the icon is based on a very detailed graphic, it has to be redone to a low detail version of the original image.
A successful iPhone icon is eye catching, easy to remember and adds value to the app it represents.
Site: glyfx.com
An iPhone icon is a blend of a logo and a toolbar icon, it has to brand the app and represent its core functionality at the same time. If you look at the built in apps, they focus exclusively on representing the functionality of the app, where as 3rd party apps are competing against 100,000 other apps in the app store. This means their icons must stand out and feature their own personality.
On the practical side every screen of apps will have as many as 20 icons, which is a lot of clutter! A minimalist design will help your icon to really stand out, so long as it isn’t a black square because a dark icon will disappear into the black background of the home screen. It’s important to avoid this because my friends always look at my iPhone to discover new and interesting apps, and any boring and uninteresting icons get passed over without a thought.
