docs/html/guide/practices/ui_guidelines/icon_design_launcher_archive.jd

page.title=Launcher Icons (Archive)
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parent.title=Icon Design Guidelines
parent.link=icon_design.html
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<div id="qv-wrapper">
<div id="qv">

<h2>In this document</h2>

<ol>
<li><a href="#icon5">Android 2.0</a>
  <ol>
    <li><a href="#style5">Style</a></li>
    <li><a href="#size5">Size</a></li>
    <li><a href="#materialscolors5">Materials and colors</a></li>
    <li><a href="#effects5">Effects</a></li>
    <li><a href="#dodonts5">Do's and don'ts</a></li>
    <li><a href="#examples5">Example icons</a></li>
  </ol>
</li>
<li><a href="#icon1">Android 1.6 and Earlier</a></li>
</ol>

<h2>See also</h2>

<ol>
<li><a href="{@docRoot}guide/practices/screens_support.html">Supporting Multiple
Screens</a></li>
</ol>

</div>
</div>

<p class="warning">
  <strong>Warning:</strong> This document describes obsolete guidelines for
  creating launcher icons. Follow the <a href="icon_design_launcher.html">latest
  launcher icon guidelines</a> instead.
</p>

<p>A Launcher icon is a graphic that represents your application on the device's
Home screen and in the Launcher window.</p>

<p>The user opens the Launcher by touching the icon at the bottom of the Home
screen. The Launcher opens and exposes the icons for all of the installed
applications. The user selects an application and opens it by touching the
Launcher icon or by means of any hardware navigation controls available, such as
a trackball or d-pad.</p>

<p>As described in <a href="icon_design.html#icon-sets">Providing
Density-Specific Icon Sets</a>, you should create separate icons for low-,
medium-, and high-density screens. This ensures that your icons will display
properly across the range of devices on which your application can be installed.
See <a href="icon_design.html#design-tips">Tips for Designers</a> for
suggestions on how to work with multiple sets of icons.</p>



<h2 id="market">Application Icons on Google Play</h2>

<p>If you are <a href="{@docRoot}distribute/index.html">publishing
your application on Google Play</a>, you will also need to provide a 512x512
pixel, high-resolution application icon in the <a
href="http://play.google.com/apps/publish">developer console</a> at upload-time.
This icon will be used in various locations on Google Play and does
not replace your launcher icon.</p>

<p>For tips and recommendations on creating high-resolution launcher icons that
can easily be scaled up to 512x512, see
<a href="{@docRoot}guide/practices/ui_guidelines/icon_design.html#design-tips">
Tips for Designers</a>.</p>

<p>For information and specifications about high-resolution application
icons on Google Play, see the following article:</p>

<p style="margin-left:2em"><a
href="http://market.android.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=1078870">
  Graphic Assets for your Application (Google Play Help) &raquo;</a>




<h2 id="icon5">Android 2.0 and Later</h2>

<p>Starting with Android 2.0, launcher icons should be front-facing, instead of
at a three-quarter perspective. The following guidelines describe how to design
launcher icons for Android 2.0 (API Level 5) and later.</p>

<h3 id="style5">Style</h3>

<p>The launcher icons that you create should follow the general style principles
below. The guidelines aren't meant to restrict what you can do with your icons,
but rather they are meant to emphasize the common approaches that your icons can
share with others on the device. Figure 1, at right, provides examples.  </p>

<div class="figure">
  <img src="{@docRoot}images/icon_design/IconGraphic_Icons_i.png"
    width="340">
  <p class="img-caption">
    <strong>Figure 1.</strong> Example launcher icons for Android 2.0 and
    greater.
  </p>
</div>

<p>Clean and contemporary:</p>

<ul>
  <li>Launcher icons should be modern and sometimes quirky; they should not
appear aged or ragged. You should avoid overused symbolic metaphors whenever
possible.</li>
</ul>

<p>Simple and iconic:</p>
<ul>
  <li>Android Launcher icons are caricatural in nature; your icons should be
highly simplified and exaggerated, so that they are appropriate for use at small
sizes. Your icons should not be overly complicated. </li>
  <li>Try featuring a single part of an application as a symbolic
representation of the whole (for example, the Music icon features a speaker).
</li>
  <li>Consider using natural outlines and shapes, both geometric and organic,
with a realistic (but never photorealistic) rendering. </li>
  <li>Your icons <em>should not</em> present a cropped view of a larger
image.</li>
</ul>

<p>Tactile and textured:</p>
<ul>
  <li>Icons should feature non-glossy, textured material. See
  <a href="#materialscolors5">Materials and colors</a>, below, for more
  information.</li>
</ul>

<p>Forward-facing and top-lit:</p>
<ul>
  <li><em>New for Android 2.0 and later platforms</em>: Android Launcher
icons should be forward-facing, with very little perspective, and they
should be top-lit.</li>
</ul>

<p class="note"><strong>Note:</strong> Android applies separate text labels
using the application name when displaying launcher icons, so you should avoid
embedding text in your icon and instead focus on designing a distinct and
memorable icon.</p>



<h3 id="size5">Size and positioning</h3>

<p>Launcher icons should use a variety of shapes and forms that are scaled and
positioned inside the asset to create consistent visual weight with other
icons.</p>

<p>Figure 2 illustrates various ways of positioning the icon inside the
asset. You should size the icons <em>smaller than the actual bounds of the
asset</em> to create a consistent visual weight and to allow for shadows. If
your icon is square or nearly square, it should be scaled even smaller.</p>

<p>In order to indicate the recommended size for the icon, each example in
Figure 2 includes three different guide rectangles:</p>

<ul>
<li>The red box is the bounding box for the full asset.</li>
<li>The blue box is the recommended bounding box for the actual icon.
The icon box is sized smaller than the full asset box so that there is space to
include shadows and allow for special icon treatments.</li>
<li>The orange box is the recommended bounding box for the actual icon when
the content is square. The box for square icons is smaller than that for other
icons to establish a consistent visual weight across the two types.</li>
</ul>

<table>
<tr>

<td style="border:0;">
<ol class="nolist">
  <li>Launcher icon dimensions for high-density (<code>hdpi</code>) screens:</li>
  <ol class="nolist">
    <li>Full Asset: 72 x 72 px</li>
    <li>Icon: 60 x 60 px</li>
    <li>Square Icon: 56 x 56 px</li>
  </ol>
  </li>
</ol>
</td>
<td style="border:0;">
  <img src="{@docRoot}images/icon_design/launcher_size_hdpi.png" width="450">
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border:0;">
  <ol class="nolist">
  <li>Launcher icon dimensions for medium-density (<code>mdpi</code>) screens:</li>
    <ol class="nolist">
      <li>Full Asset: 48 x 48 px</li>
      <li>Icon: 40 x 40 px</li>
      <li>Square Icon: 38 x 38 px</li>
    </ol>
  </li>
</ol>
</td>

<td style="border:0;">
 <img src="{@docRoot}images/icon_design/launcher_size_mdpi.png" width="450">
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border:0;">
  <ol class="nolist">
  <li>Launcher icon dimensions for low-density (<code>ldpi</code>) screens:</li>
    <ol class="nolist">
      <li>Full Asset: 36 x 36 px</li>
      <li>Icon: 30 x 30 px</li>
      <li>Square Icon: 28 x 28 px</li>
    </ol>
  </li>
</ol>
</td>

<td style="border:0;">
 <img src="{@docRoot}images/icon_design/launcher_size_ldpi.png" width="450">
</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td style="border:0;"></td>
<td style="border:0;">
 <p class="table-caption"><strong>Figure 2.</strong>
 Launcher icon sizing and positioning inside the bounds of the
 icon asset.</p>
</td>
</tr>

</table>




<h3 id="materialscolors5">Materials and colors</h3>

<p>Launcher icons should make use of tactile, top-lit, textured materials. Even
if your icon is just a simple shape, you should try to render in a way that
makes it appear to be sculpted from some real-world material.</p>

<p>Android launcher icons usually consist of a smaller shape within a
larger base shape and combine one neutral and one primary color. Icons may
use a combination of neutral colors but should maintain a fairly high level of
contrast. Icons should not use more than one primary color per icon, if
possible.</p>

<p>Launcher icons should use a limited color palette that includes a range
of neutral and primary colors. The icons should not be over-saturated.</p>

<p>The recommended color palette to use for Launcher icons is shown in Figure 3.
You can use elements of the palette for both the base color and the highlight
color. You can use the colors of the palette in conjunction with a
white-to-black vertical linear gradient overlay. This creates the impression
that the icon is lit from above and keeps the color less saturated.</p>

<img src="{@docRoot}images/icon_design/IconGraphic_Colors.png" width="530">
<p class="img-caption">
<strong>Figure 3.</strong> Recommended color palette for icons.</p>

<p>When you combine the materials in Figure 4 with a color highlight from the
recommended palette above, you can create materials combinations such as those
shown in Figure 5. To get you started, the
<a href="{@docRoot}guide/practices/ui_guidelines/icon_design.html#templatespack">Icon Templates Pack</a>
includes a Photoshop file (<code>ic_launcher_template/example_materials.psd</code>)
that provides all of the default materials, colors, and gradients. </p>

<table>
  <tbody>
    <tr>
      <td style="border:0;">
<img src="{@docRoot}images/icon_design/IconGraphic_Materials.png" width="450">
<p class="img-caption">
<strong>Figure 4.</strong> Example materials that you can use to create
your icons.</p>
      </td>
      <td style="border:0;border-left:1px solid #ccc;margin-left:1em;padding-left:1em">
<img src="{@docRoot}images/icon_design/IconGraphic_AccentColor.png" width="450">
<p class="img-caption">
<strong>Figure 5.</strong> Examples of materials combined with base
and highlight colors from the recommended palette.</p>
      </td>
    </tr>
  </tbody>
</table>



<h3 id="effects5">Effects</h3>

<p>Launcher icons are flat and the perspective is straight-on, rather than at an
angle. A drop shadow is used to create a sense of depth. Launcher icons can use
varying textures and lighting effects, but must be lit directly from above
(straight down).</p>

<p>In order to maintain consistency, all launcher icons should use the same
drop shadow effect, as shown in Figure 6.</p>

<table class="image-caption">
<tr>
<td class="image-caption-i">
  <img src="{@docRoot}images/icon_design/launcher_style.png"/>
</td>
<td class="image-caption-c">
  <div class="caption grad-rule-top">
    <p><strong>Figure 6. </strong>Style, light and effects for launcher icons.</p>
    <div class="image-caption-nested">
    <p><em>Note: all pixel dimensions are for medium density and should be scaled appropriately for other densities.</em></p>
    <table>
    <tr><td><em>1.</em></td><td nowrap>Lighting:</td><td>Top-lit, using appropriate lighting details<br><br></td></tr>
    <tr><td><em>2.</em></td><td nowrap>Drop shadow:</td><td><code>#000000</code>, 75% opacity<br>angle 90&deg;<br>distance 1px<br>size 3px<br><br></td></tr>
    <tr><td><em>3.</em></td><td nowrap>Textures:</td><td>Tactile, appear to use real-world materials (monochromatic noise in example image)<br><br></td></tr>
    </table>
    </div>
  </div>
</td>
</tr>
</table>



<h3 id="dodonts5">Do's and don'ts</h3>

<p>Below are some "do and don't" examples to consider when creating icons for
your application.  </p>


<table>
<tr>
<td style="border:0;width:50%">

<h4>Android Launcher icons are...</h4>

<ul>
<li>Modern, minimal, matte, tactile, and textured</li>
<li>Forward-facing and top-lit, whole, limited in color
palette</li>
</ul>
</td>
<td style="border:0;width:50%">

<h4>Android Launcher icons are not...</h4>

<ul>
<li>Antique, over-complicated, glossy, flat vector</li>
<li>Rotated, Cropped, Over-Saturated</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
</table>

<img src="{@docRoot}images/icon_design/IconGraphic_DosDonts.png"/>
<p class="img-caption">
<strong>Figure 7.</strong> Side-by-side examples of "do's and don'ts" for
Android launcher icons. </p>





<h3 id="examples5">Example icons</h3>

<p>Shown below are examples of high-density launcher icons used by
Android applications. The icons are provided for your reference only &mdash;
please do not reuse these icons in your applications.</code>.</p>

<img src="{@docRoot}images/icon_design/IconGraphic_Icons.png" />



<h2 id="icon1">Android 1.6 and earlier</h2>

<p>The following guidelines describe how to design launcher icons for Android
1.6 (API Level 4) and earlier. Launcher icons for Android 1.6 and below are
simplified 3D icons with a fixed perspective. The required perspective is shown
in Figure 8.</p>

<h3 id="structure1">Structure</h3>

<ul>
<li>The base of a launcher icon can face either the top view or the front
view.</li>

<li>The majority of a launcher icon’s surface should be created using the
launcher icon <a href="#palette1">color palette</a>. To add emphasis, use
one or more bright accent colors to highlight specific characteristics.</li>

<li>All launcher icons must be created with rounded corners to make them look
friendly and simple—as shown in Figure 8.</li>

<li>All dimensions specified are based on a 250x250 pixel artboard size
in a vector graphics editor like Adobe Illustrator, where the icon fits within
the artboard boundaries.</li>

<li><strong>Final art must be scaled down and exported as a transparent PNG file
using a raster image editor such as Adobe Photoshop. Do not include a background
color.</strong></li>

<li>Templates for creating icons in Adobe Photoshop are available in the <a
href="{@docRoot}guide/practices/ui_guidelines/icon_design.html#templatespack">Icon
Templates Pack</a>.</li>

</ul>

<table class="image-caption">
<tr>
<td class="image-caption-i">
  <img src="{@docRoot}images/icon_design/launcher_structure.png" alt="A view of
launcher icon corners and perspective angles" />
</td>
<td class="image-caption-c">
  <div class="caption grad-rule-top">
    <p><strong>Figure 8.</strong> Rounded corners and perspective angles for
      launcher icons (90° is vertical).</p>
    <div class="image-caption-nested">
      <table>
      <tr><td><em>1.</em></td><td>92°</td></tr>
      <tr><td><em>2.</em></td><td>92°</td></tr>
      <tr><td><em>3.</em></td><td>173°</td></tr>
      <tr><td><em>4.</em></td><td>171°</td></tr>
      <tr><td><em>5.</em></td><td>49°</td></tr>
      <tr><td><em>6.</em></td><td>171°</td></tr>
      <tr><td><em>7.</em></td><td>64°</td></tr>
      <tr><td><em>8.</em></td><td>97°</td></tr>
      <tr><td><em>9.</em></td><td>75°</td></tr>
      <tr><td><em>10.</em></td><td>93°</td></tr>
      <tr><td><em>11.</em></td><td>169°</td></tr>
      </table>
    </div>
  </div>
</td>
</tr>
</table>

<h3 id="style1">Light, effects, and shadows</h3>

<p>Launcher icons are simplified 3D icons using light and shadows for
definition. A light source is placed slightly to the left in front of the icon,
and therefore the shadow expands to the right and back.</p>

<table class="image-caption">
<tr>
<td class="image-caption-i">
  <img src="{@docRoot}images/icon_design/launcher_light.png" alt="A view of
light, effects, and shadows for launcher icons."/>
</td>
<td class="image-caption-c">
  <div class="caption grad-rule-top">
    <p><strong>Figure 9. </strong>Light, effects, and shadows for launcher icons.</p>
    <div class="image-caption-nested">
    <table>
    <tr><td><em>1.</em></td><td>Edge highlight:</td><td>white</td></tr>
    <tr><td><em>2.</em></td><td>Icon shadow:</td><td>black | 20px blur<br>50% opacity | angle 67°</td></tr>
    <tr><td><em>3.</em></td><td>Front part:</td><td>Use light gradient from color palette</td></tr>
    <tr><td><em>4.</em></td><td>Detail shadow:</td><td>black | 10px blur<br>75% opacity</td></tr>
    <tr><td><em>5.</em></td><td> Side part:</td><td>Use medium gradient from color palette</td></tr>
    </table>
    </div>
  </div>
</td>
</tr>
</table>

<table>
<tr>
<td style="border:0">

<h4 id="palette1">Launcher icon color palette</h4>

<table>
<tr>
<td class="image-caption-i"><img src="{@docRoot}images/icon_design/launcher_palette_white.png"/></td>
<td class="image-caption-c">White<br>r 255 | g 255 | b 255<br>Used for highlights on edges.</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td class="image-caption-i"><img src="{@docRoot}images/icon_design/launcher_palette_gradient_light.png"/></td>
<td class="image-caption-c">Light gradient<br><em>1:&nbsp;&nbsp;</em>r 0  | g 0  | b 0<br><em>2:&nbsp;&nbsp;</em>r 217 | g 217 | b 217<br>Used on the front (lit) part of the icon.</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td class="image-caption-i"><img src="{@docRoot}images/icon_design/launcher_palette_gradient_medium.png"/></td>
<td class="image-caption-c">Medium gradient<br><em>1:&nbsp;&nbsp;</em>r 190 | g 190 | b 190<br><em>2:&nbsp;&nbsp;</em>r 115 | g 115 | b 115<br>Used on the side (shaded) part of the icon.</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td class="image-caption-i"><img src="{@docRoot}images/icon_design/launcher_palette_gradient_dark.png"/></td>
<td class="image-caption-c">Dark gradient<br><em>1:&nbsp;&nbsp;</em>r 100 | g 100 | b 100<br><em>2:&nbsp;&nbsp;</em>r 25  | g 25  | b 25<br>Used on details and parts in the shade of the icon.</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td class="image-caption-i"><img src="{@docRoot}images/icon_design/launcher_palette_black.png"/></td>
<td class="image-caption-c">Black<br>r 0 | g 0 | b 0<br>Used as base color in shadows.</td>
</tr>

</table>

</td>

<td style="border:0">

<h4 id="steps1">Step by step</h4>

<ol>
  <li>Create the basic shapes with a tool like Adobe Illustrator, using the
angles described in <a href="#structure1">Launcher icon: structure</a>.
The shapes and effects must fit within a 250x250 pixel artboard.</li>
  <li>Add depth to shapes by extruding them and create the rounded corners as
described for the launcher icon structure.</li>
  <li>Add details and colors. Gradients should be treated as if there is a light
source placed slightly to the left in front of the icon.</li>
  <li>Create the shadows with the correct angle and blur effect.</li>
  <li>Import the icon into a tool like Adobe Photoshop and scale to fit an image
size of 48x48 px on a transparent background.</li>
  <li>Export the icon at 48x48 as a PNG file with transparency enabled.</li>
</ol>

</td>
</tr>
</table>