How to build an attractive app icon that hypnotizes the target audience ?

There is not a lot of difference between flat and material designs as both consider simplicity to be the main aspect of the application icon but when noticed, it is a blend of real elements with graphic elements. It has a more rounded and realistic feel to it. The term skeuomorphism can be tossed here as app icons are made as if they are totally inspired by the real world but nowadays it is observing a downfall as more simple designs are replacing them.

Now, let’s move on to the golden rules of constructing an app icon that applies to every operating system!

• Don’t be generic:
  Let the uniqueness of your application come through the icon. This aspect can heavily decide whether your application will be able to generate curiosity or not.Different shapes, colors, characteristics, or elements can make a unique app icon. Try to bring out its individuality equally in the app store, installation, or even when a notification is sent to the user. It should be so different from others that users should remember your application immediately if they see the icon.
• Beauty lies in simplicity:
  Sometimes less is more and this saying turns out to be very true in the creation of app icons. Don’t overdo it!Keep it closely related to the inner content of the application. Let it be Google or Windows, or let it be Apple, being simple is highly valued. Please note that the applications that need to highlight the graphic visuals are an exception to this case.
• Avoid over-stuffing:Space management is an art and it helps in app icon creation. Keep it spacious, one small logo that describes the app and that is placed correctly, can do wonders and is generally admired by the audiences.
• Convey through colors:Each color has its significance and can represent different moods or emotions in the context of human psychology. Take advantage of the above-mentioned theory and age-old tricks with colors to attract the attention of users and keep in mind to add a few bright and prominent colors.
• Create a different reality:Don’t directly use real photographs, it may look very bad when it is smaller. Instead, use an artistic version of it whenever making an application but it should be only a graphically and simplified version of it.
• Testing and retestingDon’t be easily satisfied with the first ever design you come up with. Check its compatibility with different backgrounds, use a different font style, and its visual appeal with all the concerning factors and if you still think as if it is lacking something, add what is lacking to it. Test it in front of a small crowd and take feedback on how a user experiences it before actually launching it to the public domain.
• Proper interpretation:When making an icon for an application the purpose it serves should be visible. It should look as precise as possible to its real counterpart.
  If the specifications of the app icon are as clear and the same as the real object then the users would find it more relatable and use it more often.
• Stay visibleDon’t use light fonts or transparent effects if done so, it can disappear in the middle of a dark background or crowded screen. So, it is better to use bright colors and not include any transparent components in the making of the icon.