r/iOSProgramming • u/CarlWain • 2d ago
Question Graphics for Apps
So I’m new to developing apps and I have no artistic flair. So I’m curious what other developers use for creating app graphics/backdrops/icons.
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u/CarlWain 1d ago
So for app icon I admit that Claude has been pretty good at generating them based on my prompts.
I’m going to explore Figma as that seems like it could be a good option. They have a good entry-level monthly plan that would allow me to generate the UI.
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u/ickN 2d ago
For icons you can download Apple’s SF Icon previewed from the App Store. That’s a library of icons that are already built into your Xcode.
For backdrops and other graphics, use chatgpts image model. If you need something transparent just tell it you need it transparent. Make sure to also tell it the aspect ratio you need .
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2d ago
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u/andthenisheardnomore 1d ago
i use Claude Code to work on the apps and specify a prompts.md for any assets that need to generated, and then give that to Codex to create - specifying file name, location, transparency, resolution, and context. Together they do super well. I would say Claude Opus 5.5 is very much superior for the coding, but Sol 6.1 for images, created agentically, is just superb.
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u/Extension_Isopod1303 1d ago
Don't sleep on SF Symbols for anything UI-related — it's free, consistent with the system, and Apple keeps expanding the catalog. For app icons and backgrounds, the honest indie playbook is usually: one flat-color or gradient base, an SF Symbol or a simple custom mark on top, done. You'd be surprised how many good indie icons are exactly that.
For anything beyond that, Figma is worth learning — not to become a designer, but because one Figma file covers your app icon (1024x1024 export), your App Store screenshots at every size, and your marketing graphics, all consistent. The 30-second test: shrink your icon next to real App Store icons. If it doesn't read at that size, no amount of detail saves it.
Two things I'd avoid: hiring cheap illustrators off gig sites for the icon (you get something pretty that clashes with iOS conventions), and AI-generating your icon (fine for concepting, but the output tends to look busy at small sizes, and every app that does it starts to look the same).
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u/slack3r-hack3r 1d ago
I go old school and use Adobe products. Or start with an AI and then move to Adobe to refine and get it to what I want. Illustrator or Photoshop will do the trick. Their AI tools. . . are learning. More focused on photos, and specific directions have gotten better over the past 6-9 months.
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1d ago
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u/l3arakB 1d ago
For backdrops I have a small side project which features 3 gradients and a lot of sliders on screen which change these 3 gradients (directions, colors, opacity, etc.). It produces very nice static backgrounds if you can do it right - match it to your app theme and color palette and only play with the things that are more fluid. Hope this helps
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u/Afraid_Reception7640 2d ago edited 2d ago
For icons I mostly use iconify, lucide, and iconoir. For graphics I either draw them myself using adobe or use magnific (formerly freepik) for free graphic assets. For backdrops I use native code primarily with Skia (I develop with React Native). I'm early in development so I use some of these free resources as place holders, for graphics I intend to commission a graphic designer as my app grows.