The best icon sets for Android. Designing cool app icons
A mobile app icon is a small picture that represents an app on a marketplace such as Google Play or App Store, and the user's device. If you soon need to create your first mobile app icon design, listen to these tips. They will help you avoid mistakes that lie in wait for beginners.
As a designer, it is important for you to pay attention to the application: after all, users often make decisions about choosing an application, guided solely by the appearance of the icon in the market. A thoughtful icon is associated with quality application And user-friendly interface, and done on a quick fix The image does not inspire confidence.
Therefore, consider the following tips for creating an app icon design:
1. Follow the instructions
Icons do not exist on their own, but within graphical shell one system or another. They should fit harmoniously into the interface, not look alien next to the icons of other applications, but at the same time be unique. Therefore, developing an application icon begins with familiarizing yourself with the system manufacturer’s manuals and studying grids for creating icons in Photoshop.
Here are guides to get you started:
- Official website dedicated to Material Design for Android. Here you can read about style, animation, components, patterns, layouts and usability, as well as download materials to help the designer.
- Apple's iOS Human Interface tutorials come in handy if you want to create an icon for your iPad or iPhone.
Having studied the trends and standards that the OS manufacturer expects you to comply with, you can move on to the next step.
2. Know your audience
The application icon for a local company, for example a food delivery service, will be different from the icon for a company that wants to enter the international market. In the latter case, you need to be sure that you use universal symbols that will be perceived equally by people from all over the world. different parts light and will not hurt anyone's feelings:
3. Create an icon in the desired size
What looks good on an A4 sheet of paper won't necessarily work at 120 x 120 pixels. Professional icon design should take this into account.
4. Simplify and do not overload the icon with unnecessary details
Minimalism is yours best friend. The more decorations and details on an icon, the lower its recognition. The icon should be something like a symbol - quite simple and understandable. For example, here is the icon we made for the recipe app Kukoram:
5. Get the lights and shadows right
This tip is relevant if you are making an icon for an Android application. Guide Android Material talks about this aspect in detail. It also provides values for the shadows cast by an icon of a particular color.
6. Check how the icon looks against a background of a different color (dark, light, colored)
In the market, the icon is displayed on a white or light gray background, but the wallpaper on users’ devices is much more varied. So be sure to check how the app icon design looks against different background colors.
7. Don't be afraid to use perspective
Of course, if it doesn't violate general impression. Original use Perspective will help you make the application icon even more visible. Here's a great example of using perspective:
8. Create an interesting shape
The icons below are memorable due to the shapes used on them:
The shape helps to recognize the icon even if it is very small.
9. Choose colors responsibly
Once you start increasing the number of colors you use, it will be difficult to stop. So use one or two colors - that's enough. Here's a good example of an icon with two colors:
10. Don't use photos
There are wonderful photorealistic icons, but using photographs is taboo.
11. Create app icons without unnecessary text
Small text is difficult to read, and its use will create problems in case of localization, if, for example, the application is released for the Chinese market. However, you can use the first one or two letters of the company name, like Tumblr or Pinterest do:
12. Do not use elements from the application interface on the icon
This is very bad practice, which confuses the user. Interface elements should be placed on your icon.
13. Create icons that communicate the main function of the application
With a good icon, the user doesn’t even have to look at the description: for players they usually use notes, instruments or a visualizer, for cameras they use images of a camera or lens, and for instant messengers like Viber they use message bubbles:
In the icon for the UARoads project, we displayed two important aspects applications: the need to send data to the server for processing and the fact that it is intended for motorists. The icon also uses the colors of the national flag:
14. Study competitor icons
Despite the previous advice, take a look at the icons of competitors - most likely, they have already somehow beat the main function of the application. So try not to repeat yourself. For example, the Wunderlist icon compares favorably with the icons of other to-do list apps:
And here is the icon we created for the KeepSnap application, which is aimed at photographers:
As you can see, even the creation of such a small element as an icon should be approached with all responsibility. A successful icon design attracts the attention of users who came to the market for a completely different application.
Changing the icon is no joke either. For example, the owners of Radium, a radio station aggregator application, had to change the icon several times in a month because users did not like it.
We, the studio, will be happy to create an icon for your application that will distinguish it from competitors' products.
I am sure that a beautiful set of icons will always come in handy. Icons and icons, when used correctly, are a very valuable tool for a designer. They attract our attention or draw attention to some thing. For many website users, functionality is remembered exclusively visually, i.e. using pictures.
This collection of icons is released to help the designer. The collection is absolutely free. Read please license agreement before using the icons - the license may change from time to time. Icons may also be useful for corporate projects, blogs, online magazines, diaries, Internet applications. Please feel free to suggest your own icon sets in the comments. this post.
Icons for web applications.
Chalkwork HTML is free set HTML themed icons. They fit perfectly with the entire Chalkwork family of icons. You can install these icons absolutely free for personal and commercial purposes. The kit is available in 3 sizes and 6 formats: transparent PNG, TIF, GIF, BMP, ICO Windows and Mac ICNS.
Hand pointer icons.
Free icons that include 36 pointing hands, 6 different types with 6 color options. There is also a source file in .psd format.
452 icons freely available for private and commercial use.
Basic equipment.
42 high quality icons in 64×64, 32×32×16 and 16 sizes. Mac OS, Win and .PNG formats. Mac OS, Win etc. PNG format.
This free package icons are intended for use in personal and commercial projects, and should be used without attribution. The kit cannot be redistributed. The set includes 26 stylish icons designed by Midtone Design Studio. Each icon is a .PNG 48 × 48px. The badges were created by designer Jonatan Castro Fernandez.
The File Status Icon Kit includes 16 icons that can be used for web applications.
Danish Royalty Free.
Design: Jonas Rask.
Onebit Set Icons.
80 beautiful icons in resolution 48 × 48px. PNG.
Download also part 1. 
On Stage Icons Set.
The set contains 49 free vector icons, including PSD, which can be useful for corporate and personal projects. You can use the set for free, without any restrictions. Icons are available in PNG format with a resolution of 128 × 128 pixels. Also included are icons in .PSD format.
This set contains 9 browser icons in 64×64, 32 and 32×16×16 pixels. Includes major browsers like Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer, Opera, Google, Chrome and many others.
Milky Icons Set.
The set contains 131 icons, mostly green, which has a very nice appearance for a dark background.
Mark James (FamFamFam) created big set 1022 silky-smooth 16×16 icons in PNG format.
In the fourth part of “coquettes” another 50 icons were added. The main purpose of these icons is to add love and playfulness to your projects. Icons in the following sizes: 16 × 16px, 32 × 32px, 48 × 48px, 64 × 64px and 128 × 128px and 32-bit PNG transparency file format.
Part 5 “coquette” contains 50 high-quality icons. Dimensions: 16 × 16px, 32 × 32px, 48 × 48px, 64 × 64px and 128 × 128px and 32-bit transparency PNG file format.
Icons for e-commerce (electronic commerce).
Chalkwork payments is available in 3 sizes and 6 formats: transparent PNG, TIF, GIF, BMP, ICO Windows and Mac ICNS.
The icons are free for personal use, and also free for commercial use, but designers also require links on the website. The archive contains the icons in all sizes, Windows, Mac and PNG formats. The archive contains icons of all sizes, Windows, Mac and PNG formats.
23 credit card icons free for free download.
Set of fresh icons.
This set contains 59 raster and vector icons. The set includes icons in PNG, ICO and ICNS formats. In EPS vector file available also.
Useful icon sets.
Free Multimedia Vector Icons Set various colors and styles.
Fortune 500 badges.
Over 200 icons famous brands, PSD included.
A set of 50 passenger and pedestrian symbols designed by AIGA is now available online for free. There are EPS and GIF format.
Audio icons.
A small set of 48 × 48px icons: M-Box, on M-Audio Axiom 25 Midi-keyboard and monitor TAPCO S5 speakers. These icons are free for personal use. Available in .ICNS, .PNG.
Social icon sets.
Social media mini icon pack.
This set consists of 30 (16×16) finely designed social media mini icons. They may be freely used for non-commercial purposes.
Social icons in the form of clouds. Format.PNG.
Modern tendencies and approaches in web development
Learn the algorithm for rapid growth from scratch in website building
The set contains 16 social icons (transparent) PNG format.
These icons contain Facebook, Blinklist, Feedburner, Flickr, FriendFeed, Furl, Gmail, Google, Heart icon, Last FM, Linked IN, Magnolia, Newsvine, PayPal, Skype, Sphinn, Twitter, Vimeo, Yahoo and You Tube icons. All icons are available in four sizes: 16 × 16, 32 × 32, 64 and 64 × 12 × 128px. And they are all free.
Each icon is in . JPG and comes in two sizes: 48×48px and 96×96px. Each icon is dark gray on a white background.
YouTube, Delicious, RSS, Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, Digg, StumbleUpon, mySpace, Feedburner, Skype, Yahoo, Last.fm, Linkin, Reddit and Gmail.
Dead-Simple Social media Icons | Master Fidgeter.
Simple, clean and beautiful. 16×16px mini social icons.
28 icons in PNG (256 × 256, 128 × 128, 48 × 48, 32 × 32, 16 × 16), ICO (256 × 256, 128 × 128, 48 × 48, 32 × 32, 16 × 16) and ICNS (256 × 256, 128 × 128, 48 × 48, 32 × 32, 16 × 16).
This set includes icons for Blip.fm, Digg, Facebook, Firefox, Flickr, Meneame, Myspace, Technorati, Twitter, Vimeo, WordPress, Youtube, LastFM, RSS, Blogger, GMail, Reddit and StumbleUpon. Icons are available in 24×24, 32×32, 48 and 48×64×64 sizes. Released under a Creative Commons license.
Circular social icons.
The ZIP file includes 3 sizes for 17 icons: 128 × 128px, 64 × 64px and 32 × 32px. There is an icon for the following: Blogger, Delicious, DesignFloat, Digg, Facebook, Flickr, Google, a heart icon that will work for anything (such as bookmark), MySpace, Reddit, an RSS icon, StumbleUpon, Technorati, Twitter, WordPress, Yahoo! Designed by Eli Burford from Australia.
Beautiful sets of icons.
Mail style.
The pouch icon collection was designed by Paul Kadysz. It contains 5 high quality icons. This time we have 3 various formats(. ICO, . Icns and . PNG) and 6 sizes! 512px-16px (except .png). 512px-16px (except .png). This is what the set looks like.
350 free beautiful desktop icons, can also be used online. Design by master David Lanham.
30 free icons, which have sizes: 256 × 256, 128 × 128, 64 × 64, 48 × 48, 32 × 32, 24 × 24, 16 × 16 pixels and PNG formats, ICO and icns.
Icon projects for free download.
The set contains 18 beautiful icons related to project management. Set includes icons of address map, bar graph, calendar, clock and time, conference device, contacts, documents, projects, search, site map, etc. Absolutely free. Use for any purpose.
Useful set vector icons (256 × 256 pixels). It contains books, brushes, pastels, clip, colored pencils, document, eraser, notepad, palette, scissors.
Icon- this is conditional graphic icon, which represents a tool, program, or application on the screen. Interface operating rooms systems built in such a way that virtually any an object presented as an icon. Icon design is useful for quick search by interface. At a time when the text merges into a single heap, concise and precise icons for mobile applications help users easy to determine where are required applications . If you develop a mobile application logo well, the user will immediately guess it functional without even reading the description.
You'll get
personal project manager
the designer will draw 7 different concepts
application market research is being conducted
iOS Human Interface Guidelines and Android Design Guidelines
Each icon for the main menu interface of Android applications must be represented laconic graphic elements. They are unified according to the standards provided in the directory Android Design Guidelines. The palette should be consistent in a single stylistic direction.
The latest trends in icon design allow a person choose from several color themes, as they did in the set Moonrise. This icon pack is one of the best for TalkAndroid. It attracts not only with its rich dark colors and original icons, but also a huge amount icons to choose from. There are 580 of them in total.
Unlike strict canons for developing a menu interface, icons for gaming applications must captivate with their brightness and originality. They hint to the user about the joyful leisure time that awaits him.
Development of icons foriOS
iOS application interface kits have several unifying factors: color scheme, size, perspective and drawing style. One of the most popular themes for iOS is 0bscure7. Laconic design of black and white blocks with text description gathered many fans among users. The set contains over 670 application icons. The icons look stylish on geometric or monochromatic backgrounds, but the theme doesn't go well with photos. This feature is clearly visible in the illustration.
Making 3D icons for applications is becoming more and more profitable. After all, three-dimensional elements are better perceived by the user. Bright colors, naturalistic textures, watercolor stains evoke admiration and pleasantly please the eye.
Principles of creating application icons
Icon design development: color meaning
The influence of colors and their combinations per person undoubtedly. Historians and art historians, such as Michel Pastoureau, create huge monographs that devote to the history of colors and their interpretation in the creation of people.
Comparison of red and green most clear example in color indication. Red- bright, defiant and attractive to users. It is suitable for developing icons for gaming or sports applications, because red is often the color of challenge or competition. Green- more calm and peaceful, it is successfully used to refer to banking and office applications. It is incorrect to say that red negatively affects conversion and user perception. This can only work if you place green next to it.
Color perception It has changed quite a lot over time. During the Middle Ages yellow was the color of treason and dementia, Judas' clothing was often painted in a shade of light yellow. Now yellow has practically lost its negative properties; now it is the color of happiness, sun and warmth. It is used for their applications SprintDHL, Velloe AndNikon.
Blue- one of the most popular color solutions for designing application icons. Logos Vkontakte, Skype, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Telegram created using different shades of blue. It is considered ideal for communication: calm and balanced, concentrates attention well and does not overload vision. And in the era of Rome it was the least favorite color. It was avoided so much that a theory was born in science that the people of Antiquity simply did not perceive such a shade. Blue color was considered intimidating and unpleasant, and blue eyes were almost a physical handicap. Several centuries have passed and now it is one of the most common and popular colors. Therefore, KOLORO employees are always open to experimentation; we use unusual solutions that will become a style icon over the years.
Orange, violet and magenta colors- new favorites of developers. They are used by Viber, YAHOO!, Hallmark, Amazon, Kodak and Instagram.
KOLORO designers are excellent color specialists. We know and understand the history of each color, and are happy to We use our knowledge to create icons and, and over time it will become a unique symbol. Secondly, the target audience such applications has many differences: age, gender, religion or region of residence. And each user has his own idea of a color, a symbol, a gesture. The simpler the icon, the faster everyone will like it. In addition, you need to consider the size of the devices on which the applications will open. Simple geometric shapes will look advantageous and clear in any size. Oversaturation of the icon will provoke an incomprehensible conglomeration of colors and shapes when it is reduced to 120x120.
Order icon design for applications from KOLORO. We create unique icons that attract users' attention and increase business profitability.
Contact managers right now
An icon is an integral attribute of any mobile application. It is what the user’s eye catches on when he is looking for something in the store. Therefore, you need to pay a lot of attention to its creation; the success of your application largely depends on this small detail. In this article I’ll tell you exactly about the right approach to creating an icon.
Requirements for icons
Before creating or ordering icons, carefully study the rules of application stores. At first it may seem that all you need is one small square image with a side of 57 pixels, that is, exactly the kind that users are used to seeing on their iPhone and iPad.
But everything is much more complicated - it requires a whole set of initial graphic files, maximum size which can reach 2048 pixels. And each store has its own requirements, for example, Google Play needs only 5 sizes, and the App Store - 9. Pay attention to the icon sizes for devices with Retina screens- for correct display they require special sizes.
Design Features
It would seem that on a small canvas of icons the designer has no room to roam, but this is far from the case. Among the icons there are real masterpieces, looking at which the user involuntarily reaches for the “Install” button. What are the elements of a successful icon?
1. The icon design should reflect the essence of the application. If you are launching a military strategy, then it makes sense to use an image of guns or units of fighters on the icon. If the application is related to music, then place stylized notes or musical instruments on the icon. Don't mislead users; on the contrary, give them the opportunity to easily identify the content of the application.
2. Remember that an icon is an important element of marketing. Make it attractive so that the user wants to install the application only because of it.
3. If the application is associated with a brand, then the user should already understand from the icon which one it is about. trademark we're talking about. The conclusion suggests itself - you need to use a logo.
Some more useful tips:
4. Do not duplicate the name of the application in text on the icon. Do this only in exceptional cases.
5. Don't clutter your icon big amount objects, this impairs her perception.
6. Avoid using all the colors of the rainbow. Usually no more than 3-4 primary colors are enough
7. Before creating an icon, carefully study your audience and look at your competitors. You may have to stick strictly to one style.
8. If you launch a series of applications related to each other, then make icons for them using the same design principles.
Don't be afraid to change icons, but do it very carefully so that all versions are completely recognizable. This step will help remind users who have installed your application a long time ago but do not log into it. The reason for changing the icon may be holidays or changing seasons.
Order icon
There are many on the web free services For automatic creation icons for mobile applications. But this option is unacceptable, using these tools good icon not to do. There is another way - stocks or, for example, resources such as thenounproject.com, which are still preferable to the first. You can buy an icon there relatively cheaply. But this option is for those who save a lot.
Most right choice- order icons from professional designers. They can be found among freelancers; the easiest way to do this is on the largest site in RuNet, FL.ru.
Also, you should not hope that you will give an order, and three days later they will send you a finished masterpiece. Typically, the process of creating a logo for an application is multi-stage - it requires constant fine-tuning. The timing depends on the tasks assigned and the performer, as well as on many other factors. If the case is complex and requires a lot of work, but the designer claims that he can handle it in a day, then this fact should alert you.
To create a truly high-quality and attractive icon, you must give the designer as much information as possible about the content and target audience of the application and state your wishes in detail. But you shouldn’t overwhelm the artist with your sketches, especially if you are far from the field of design. This will only complicate your interactions and prolong your deadlines.
If you already have some ideas, then make a sketch or at least schematically draw on paper what you want to see on the future icon. By creating a concept, you will greatly help the designer and speed up the work.
The principle of creating an icon greatly depends on the specifics of the application. Sometimes designers create several options in the process, from which the most suitable one is then selected. And sometimes the only thing is done.
<Для некоторых приложений подходит прием оценки на фоне конкурентов, когда иконка размещается среди других приложений на скриншоте из стора. То есть таким образом ее можно увидеть и оценить в той среде, для которой она создается.
Sometimes you can see a correlation between the color of icons and application categories. For example, many social networks use variations of blue, and instant messengers use green. But there are excellent examples that prove that it is not always worth sticking to some color boundaries; be bolder and make a statement with a different color. If the tasks are different, then try to mimic without breaking out of the general series.
An important technical point: order all the required icon sizes from the designer at once. If you do automatic resizing using a regular graphics editor, you will be disappointed - the quality of the image will suffer greatly. Therefore, be sure to trust this procedure to designers who will create their own unique icon for each required size.
Testing
We should also say something about testing. Before launching the application, test the icon on a group of people that matches your target audience. If you can’t do this, then it doesn’t matter - ask your friends and acquaintances to help.
Don’t just show them different options separately, but surround each one with competitor icons. At the same time, choose the one that attracts more attention. Another effective approach is surveys. Create an anonymous poll without showing the results. You can post a link to it on your social networks or blog to reach a larger audience.
In addition, keep in mind that users may have different wallpapers installed. Select the main color variations and test the icon on each of them. It is possible that it will blend in with some types of background, then you will have to redesign your application icon.
Conclusion
The icon directly affects the success of the application. When creating it, do not go beyond the requirements of the stores. Approach the task creatively and don’t be afraid to experiment, so you can create a real masterpiece that users will vote for with their settings.
