AppIcon

An app icon is a small graphical symbol that represents a software application on devices, app stores, and web home screens. It serves as a visual identifier for the program, aiding quick recognition and brand recall, and often acts as the entry point to the app’s identity and features.

Design considerations for app icons include clarity, scalability, and platform conformity. Icons are typically designed as square or rounded-square shapes, with attention to a clean silhouette that remains recognizable at small sizes. Designers usually create both vector assets (for scalable rendering) and raster assets in multiple resolutions to support different screens and densities. Text is generally avoided or minimized because it can become unreadable when the icon is reduced.

Platform guidelines shape icon requirements. Apple’s Human Interface Guidelines emphasize a flat or subtle style with consistent corner radii and a cohesive system across apps, including a high-resolution App Store icon and home screen assets. Android employs adaptive icons that separate foreground and background layers to enable dynamic shapes, plus a set of launcher icons in various sizes. Windows and other ecosystems maintain their own conventions. Web platforms and Progressive Web Apps rely on manifest-provided icons, commonly including 192x192 and 512x512 pixel sizes for home screens and store listings.

Files and formats commonly used include PNG for raster assets and SVG for vector icons, enabling crisp rendering across devices. Best practices stress legibility, brand alignment, accessibility considerations such as color contrast, and testing at the smallest target size.