title: \"App icons | Apple Developer Documentation\" source: https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/app-icons A unique, memorable icon expr
This skill guides you through designing and implementing app icons that comply with Apple’s Human Interface Guidelines across multiple platforms, including iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, watchOS, and visionOS. It covers required icon shapes, sizes, color spaces, and layering techniques such as parallax and 3D effects, ensuring your icons render crisply and consistently in varied contexts like the home screen, settings, and notifications. The skill also addresses creating alternate icon variants for dark mode and tinted themes to enhance brand recognition and visual clarity.
This skill is essential for mobile product managers and creative directors who oversee app branding and UI consistency across Apple ecosystems. It also benefits user acquisition specialists and growth marketers responsible for optimizing app store presence and conversion rates by aligning icon design with platform expectations. Additionally, agency designers tasked with producing scalable asset libraries for clients’ apps will find this skill valuable to meet Apple’s technical requirements and aesthetic standards.
Start by selecting the correct icon dimensions and shapes for each platform, such as 1024x1024 px squares for iOS and circular squares for watchOS. Next, create layered icon files that support system scaling, parallax on tvOS, or 3D effects on visionOS, tailoring designs to each platform’s UI conventions. Then, produce alternate icon variants for dark mode and tinted appearances, especially for iOS and iPadOS, to maintain visibility under different environmental lighting. Finally, integrate your icons into Xcode asset catalogs using Apple’s Icon Composer or configuration tools, verifying that all required sizes and color profiles like sRGB and Display P3 are correctly applied.
What icon size should I use for iOS apps? Use a 1024x1024 pixel square icon as the base, which the system automatically scales for different uses. Can I create alternate icons for dark mode? Yes, Apple supports dark and tinted variants, particularly on iOS and iPadOS, to improve legibility and brand consistency. How do layered icons affect app performance? Layered icons enable visual effects like parallax or 3D without impacting app runtime performance since they are handled natively by the system.
Attach this skill to tasks related to app store creative optimization or cross-platform UI asset management. Metaflow will guide your agent through platform-specific icon requirements and best practices, ensuring your icon sets are complete and compliant. Expect actionable insights on scaling, color profiles, and variant creation that streamline your app icon production workflow and improve store conversion rates.
For broader context, see our roundup of marketing skills claude, and read Claude Code workflows for marketing agencies for related setup guidance.