Branding
Updating Your Branding
After you submit an alteration to your branding please allow at least 2 weeks for it to be processed by our team and approved by Apple and Google Play. We will reach out if we have any questions or run into any issues.
Branding Fields
These are the fields you will have to fill out to get your app published or updated in the Apple and Google Play stores.
- App Store Name: This is the name that will appear in the app store. Every app ever submitted to the App Store must have a unique App Store Name
- Subtitle: This is a new kind of descriptive text that is added under the app name in iOS 11.
- App Device Name: This is what will appear below your app's icon when it is downloaded on a user's phone.
- App Store Categories: Picking a primary and secondary category assists with discoverability.
- Navigation Color: The navigation color is visible on the top and bottom of your app. Please use the hex code format e.g. #FFFFFF
- App Description: Two to three paragraphs explaining your app and main functionality.
- Keywords: These are search terms that are extremely specific to your app that will help potential users who are searching for you in the app store.
- Welcome Screens: Users swipe through these screens when they first download the app.
- App Icon (iOS & Android): This is the image that appears in association with your app when a user searches for you in the app store and when they have the app downloaded on their phone.
- Screenshots: These are the images that appear when a user searches for your app in the app store.
- Android Cover Image: This graphic appears when you send users to your Google Play Store listing.
Branding In Detail
App Store Name
This is the name that will appear in the app store. Your app’s name plays a critical role in how users discover it on the App Store. Choose a simple, memorable name that is easy to spell and hints at what your app does.
We recommend
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Avoiding names that are generic or similar to existing app names, try searching the app store for your idea to see what apps pop up
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Using this character counter to ensure you are at or below 30 characters
Requirements for Submissions
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Your app name can not be longer than 30 characters including spaces
Subtitle
The subtitle is a new kind of descriptive text that is added under the app name of iOS 11.
A subtitle is a metadata place that counts as keywords. If customers have some important keywords but have no extra space to add them to the app title, then they can consider adding them into a subtitle. Your app’s subtitle is intended to summarize your app in a concise phrase. Consider using this, rather than your app’s name, to explain the value of your app in greater
detail. Avoid generic descriptions such as the “world’s best app.” Instead, highlight features or typical uses of your app that resonate with your audience.
We recommend
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Adding a subtitle since it counts as keywords
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Using this character counter to ensure you are below 30 characters
Requirements for submissions
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The subtitle is not required, if you choose not to include a subtitle the app store will display the name of the organization who developed the app
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The subtitle should be no longer than 30 characters including spaces
App Device Name
This is what will appear below your icon on the home screen of your users’ phone.
We recommend
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Using this character counter to ensure you are at or below 14 characters
Requirements for submissions
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The device name should be no longer than 14 characters including spaces
App Store Categories
Categories on the App Store help users discover new apps to meet their needs. You can assign a primary and a secondary category to your app. The primary category is particularly important for discoverability, as it helps users find your app when browsing or filtering search results, and it determines in which tab your app appears on the App Store. Be sure to select the primary category that is most relevant. Choosing categories that are not relevant to your app may cause your app to be rejected when submitted for review.
We recommend
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Reading the description for each category https://developer.apple.com/app-store/categories/
Requirements for submissions
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You must have at least one category selected
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You should not exceed 2 categories
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You must be sure the category you selected is relevant to your app
Navigation Color
The navigation is the top and bottom bars inside your app. This color will be reflected there and in a couple other locations.
Please provide your preferred color in hex code format e.g. #FF0000 is white.
We recommend
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Using a color that contrasts well with white
App Description
Provide an engaging description that highlights the features and functionality of your app. The ideal description is a concise, informative paragraph followed by a shortlist of main features. Let potential users know what makes your app unique and why they will love it. Communicate in the tone of your brand, and use terminology your target audience will appreciate and understand. The first sentence of your description is the most important — this is what users can read without having to tap to read more. Every word counts, so focus on your app’s unique features.
We recommend
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Identifying who should download the app for example ‘this app is intended for students enrolled in high school within Fairfax County’
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Identifying the age group intended for this app
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Writing a list of features and why someone should download the app
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Including a short paragraph about your organization
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If a user should have training prior to downloading this app or should already be a part of your program
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Writing at least 2-3 short paragraphs
Requirements for submissions
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Your app description should be at least a paragraph long
Keywords
Keywords help determine where your app displays in search results, so choose them carefully to ensure your app is easily discoverable. Choose keywords based on words you think your audience will use to find an app like yours. Be specific when describing your app’s features and functionality to help the search algorithm surface your app in relevant searches. Consider the trade-off between ranking well for less common terms versus ranking lower for popular terms. Popular, functional terms such as “jobs”, “text”, or “social” may drive a lot of traffic, but are highly competitive in the rankings. Less common terms drive lower traffic, but are less competitive.
We recommend
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Staying away from
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Simple keywords like ‘Volunteer’, ‘Nonprofit’, ‘Program Engagement’
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Special characters such as # or @
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Duplicate words
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Names of categories
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Leaning towards
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Using keyword phrases like ‘Volunteer in Philadelphia’
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Abbreviations of your organization’s name and program name
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Using this character counter to ensure you are at or below 100 characters
Requirements for submissions
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Your keywords must be separated by a comma without a space in between…here is an example ‘Shopping for Seniors,Grocery shop,Grocery delivery,Volunteer in NJ,New Jersey Volunteer,Help Seniors’
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Submitting no more than 100 characters
Welcome Visual
When a user opens your app for the very first time, they will be “welcomed” by a few screens that capture the essence of your app. After they swipe through the welcome screens they will be excited to set up their account. You can have 1-8 welcome screens; please write a short title and description for each welcome screen and have an associated visual. The first welcome screen will display your app's icon automatically.
Requirements for submissions
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The size of your welcome screen visual should be 800px by 800px
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Visuals can have either a transparent or white background
Want a template?
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Here is our welcome screen template made in Canva
App Icon (iOS & Android)
“Every app needs a beautiful and memorable icon that attracts attention in the App Store and stands out on the Home screen” -Apple
Try testing different options to determine which icon is the most recognizable and meaningful to your target audience. Your icon needs a background, it can not have a transparent background.
We recommend
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Reading this article How to design a great icon
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Not having text in your icon
Requirements for Submissions
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The icon should not have any transparency
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The dimensions should be…
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1024px by 1024px for the iOS App Icon
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512px by 512px for the Android App Icon
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Want a template?
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Here is our iOS App Icon Template made in Canva
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Here is our Android App Icon Template made in Canva
Screenshots
Screenshots appear below your app name in the app store and provide an example of what users should expect once they download your app. You can display 3-8 screenshots in the app store. Your team will need to create screenshots for iOS5.5, iOS6.5, iPads, and Android users.
We recommend
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Reading this article List of 20 creative app store screenshots
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Looking at the app store on your phone and seeing what others have done.
Requirements for submissions
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You will need 3-8 screenshots for iOS 12.9 (the iPad), iOS 5.5, iOS 6.5, and Android
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The screenshots should clearly show features inside the app
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The screenshots should not have any transparency
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The dimensions should be…
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2048px by 2732px for iOS 12.9
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1242px by 2208px for iOS 5.5
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1242px by 2688px for iOS 6.5
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ideally 1242px by 2208px for Android
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Want a template?
Android Cover Image
You need a feature graphic to publish an app with Google Play, although your users will probably not see this graphic.
We recommend
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Reading Google Play’s guidelines.
Requirements for submissions
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The size of the cover image should be 1024px by 500px
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The background should not have any transparency
Want a template?
Related Articles
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