Paying for graphics, best places to invest money in an app
I haven't done it yet, but I'm considering investing in graphics for future apps. What do you think are the best investments?
icon - I've heard that getting a professionally produced icon costs about $400. It's the main advertising to the app and seems to be the biggest bang for my buck.
User Interface (UI) - it seems that this would require working with a particular graphic designer and they may want a share of the revenue.
You can't just split up the icon and UI like that. You need the same designer to do both imo for best results. Some designers are good at UI, some are good at graphics, some are good at both, so you have to shop around and look at portfolios. A good method is to use 99designs and put up a high priced icon contest. If you go cheap the top dawgs won't even bother. Then use the winning designer to do the rest of the UI.
As for stock photos, don't bother, your designer should handle all the graphics for you. If you mix and match it's gonna look fugly and you might as well not hire a designer in the first place. Would you hire a interior designer but say "let me pick out the curtains"? Of course not. Hire a designer, let them go crazy.
DON'T GO CHEAP ON DESIGN. Hire the absolute best talent you can afford. From my experience good design is the biggest desciminator on the app store by far.
$400 for an icon? Isn't that a little outrages? I pay $0.33 per icon and they're not bad by any means.
Anyways, design does indeed seem to be the most important part of an App. Eye-candy interfaces really bring in the big bucks. Just updating the icon on my App has increased profit by more than double in the past few days (I did add some good features, though. Still, the I didn't expect such a big jump!).
But it's not all about the eye-candy of an interface that get's buyers attention. Make sure you pay attention to:
1. Organization: Keep your App Organized and CLEAN!
2. Easy to Use/Navigate: Users want the App they're purchasing to be EASY to use. Try adding hints in your GUI (Ex: The add feature will add any photo you'd like to your album).
3. Similar: Many users are familiar to the GUI of Safari, Settings, etc. Try and make your App similar to these Apps - users may find themselves more "attracted" to them.
One things for sure: Think outside of the box, take another step forward, and keep working on what you do best!
DON'T GO CHEAP ON DESIGN. Hire the absolute best talent you can afford. From my experience good design is the biggest desciminator on the app store by far.
Totally agreed! I would argue that the icon is the most important investment, it's the first thing that the user sees in iTunes and you want to leave a good impression.
Additionally, Apple seems to be more likely to promote your app if your icon and graphic design is up to par.
$400 for a high quality icon from a good designer sounds about right.
Yeah I'm sorry but that icon is really bad. Your app will stand out cause it's bright but it doesn't scream out that it's a quality app.
Look at the top apps in the App store. Look at the top ones in your category that you want. They're all really well done. At least better than that example.
Yeah I'm sorry but that icon is really bad. Your app will stand out cause it's bright but it doesn't scream out that it's a quality app.
Look at the top apps in the App store. Look at the top ones in your category that you want. They're all really well done. At least better than that example.
Yeah, I understand that. I don't have the money to afford a "real" designer.
Yeah, I understand that. I don't have the money to afford a "real" designer.
Sure I understand. If you don't have money for a designer then you don't. Have you tried using Elance.com or Odesk.com and submitting your job? You could make it clear what your budget is. People offer your their services and how much they could do it for. That's an idea.
$400 for an icon? Isn't that a little outrages? I pay $0.33 per icon and they're not bad by any means.
Anyways, design does indeed seem to be the most important part of an App. Eye-candy interfaces really bring in the big bucks. Just updating the icon on my App has increased profit by more than double in the past few days (I did add some good features, though. Still, the I didn't expect such a big jump!).
But it's not all about the eye-candy of an interface that get's buyers attention. Make sure you pay attention to:
1. Organization: Keep your App Organized and CLEAN!
2. Easy to Use/Navigate: Users want the App they're purchasing to be EASY to use. Try adding hints in your GUI (Ex: The add feature will add any photo you'd like to your album).
3. Similar: Many users are familiar to the GUI of Safari, Settings, etc. Try and make your App similar to these Apps - users may find themselves more "attracted" to them.
One things for sure: Think outside of the box, take another step forward, and keep working on what you do best!
Yeah, I understand that. I don't have the money to afford a "real" designer.
That kinda icon can be made in 3 minutes using photoshop.. Why don't you learn few basic moves in photoshop and make something better? something a little better.
__________________ Game Pack - All-in-1 Game Pack Shinro - A combination of Minesweeper and Sudoku Nibbles - Remake of a classic snake game Hooptie Browser - Humorous web filter
having completed an engineering degree a year ago. I also did some electives.. one was photoshop and other was desktop publishing. Both convey on how to make an attractive picture advertising blah blah blah.. so yer need a very good icon for at least the customer to look at your app
looking at your apps newbie, I would really encourage you to spend some time with photoshop or even a free photo editor like Gimp. From what I see you could be losing out on a ton of sales just because you have unattractive icons (and most of your apps have very similar icons). If you spent just a couple of hours getting to know some editing software im sure it would make a big difference for you
Come on don't be to harsh on him, he's just 14 and the girl who designs the icons is a schoolmate.
Still $0.33 is slavery, it'd be better to pay her a dollar. Something makes me feel you actually wanted to pay the girl a quarter and she managed to get you to knock of $0.33. I hope this isn't right? ;-)
I started agreeing with cacao when other members started mocking the graphic that he paid for in another thread. But really, you are better off making your own images.
__________________
If you are looking for a quality developer, I'm your man. Give me a PM if you are interested.
I ended up doing the app design myself, but only because it's only got a few screens and isn't THAT involved. But going forward, I'm using a designer for my next few apps. Both icon and app itself.
Come on don't be to harsh on him, he's just 14 and the girl who designs the icons is a schoolmate.
Still $0.33 is slavery, it'd be better to pay her a dollar. Something makes me feel you actually wanted to pay the girl a quarter and she managed to get you to knock of $0.33. I hope this isn't right? ;-)
If he's paying 33 cents for a icon, I want to see the finished app.
Paying for graphics, best places to invest money in an app
Linear Mode
