February 17th, 2022

Designing Brand Identity: Pages 76–81

“Apps have become a necessity” (P.80)

Alina Wheeler

Apps rule the world. Every company, every restaurant, and every game has an app. The best brands cannot exist in the 21st century without apps on either a smartphone, tablet, or desktop. What is more important, is how they work, what they look like.

App design is one of the trickiest brand elements that can be accomplished. The design team has to successfully portray the culture, logo, and tone of the brand into a small 180px × 180px icon that fluidly fits on a screen. Additionally, and most importantly, the app design has to appeal to all audiences in order to boost download rates. While app design may not be the end all be all for why an individual downloads an app, it may be the reason why a user may be proud of supporting a business and brand.

Along with listing the importance of app and app design, Wheeler also separates app design by categories. Iconic, Illustrative, Realistic, Wordmark, Letterform, and Abstract designs can all be found on the various app stores. App designs often display the characteristics of the app itself. For example, the Pinterest app simply displays a letter from alteration of the P that users can instantly recognize.

Today, app designers have begun to simplify and flatten their app designs. This is a direct result of operating systems such as IOS implementing a sleek and simple user experience that no longer compliments realistic app design. Designers and marketing specialists often desire uniformity, ultimately leading to a trend in more modern designs.