6 Super Useful Step by Step Mobile Game Icon Design Tutorials

When it comes to mobile game icon design, there is a great deal of learning resources out there including books, tutorials and online courses.

Indeed, for app developers all over the world, icon design is hugely important as it becomes what users associate with your app and the difference between it being instantly recognised, or forgotten. These icons can also be used in the app itself, as menu buttons or other features.

In the sea of resources available – many of which are overpriced or simply unhelpful – there are a handful of online tutorials that can actually help you. To save you time scurrying around trying to find them, we’ve curated a list of such tutorials.

In these hands-on practical guides, the designers have described each stage of the design process in their own words.

If you are just starting out in the world of icon design, these tutorials are a great way to get started. If you happen to be more experienced, this is an opportunity to compare your style with others.

By the way, don’t forget to bookmark this page. We’re sure you’ll come back here once you’ve checked the tutorials below.

Image Credit : envatotuts+

Software used: Adobe Photoshop

Difficulty level: Medium

Space is always a cool theme for game developers. This tutorial gives you a detailed step-by-step guide for designing an elegant looking set of space rocket icons. The flat-style and shadow effects give these icons a really modern look.

We liked this tutorial a lot, in particular how it breaks down the complicated design process into a series of simple steps. Don’t get put off by the length, just follow each step and you’ll find yourself designing professional looking icons much more easily than you might have expected.

Image Credit : envatotuts+

Software used: Adobe Photoshop

Difficulty level: Easy

As you might remember, the gaming consoles (and PCs) of the past possessed poor graphics rendering capabilities. Due to a limited number of available pixels, the game icons had a crude appearance. In recent years, this old-style retro pixel art has made a comeback. This tutorial shows how you can create a pixel art UI by following some easy steps.

The tutorial has several sections, with each focusing on a particular element. So if you are not interested in making the whole UI, you can choose an icon that you like and just follow the instructions! You’re sure to find it straightforward and it’s a lot of fun too.

Image Credit : envatotuts+

Software used: Adobe Illustrator

Difficulty level: Easy

This simple tutorial shows you how to design a set of six shiny gems using Illustrator. Gems are quite common game elements, and you’ll find that it’s actually easy to design them, even if you are a beginner.

The best thing about this tutorial is that it sticks to the basics. The designer uses some regular geometrical shapes and simple effects are added. But the results are still really great and sure to impress. These flat style icons are perfect for any professional game. Just give them a try!

Image Credit : envatotuts+

Software used: CorelDraw

Difficulty level: Medium

This tutorial shows how to create a game icon in CorelDraw. The winter-themed snowman icon looks pretty professional, but it isn’t a flat style or simple-shaped icon like the previous ones. The basic image is hand-drawn on paper and CorelDraw turns that this image into an icon, which is a very helpful resource indeed.

The tutorial actually describes each step of how the designer made a game icon for a real project that he had worked on. From the first draft on paper to the final icon – it covers almost everything of the design process.

Image Credit : envatotuts+

Software used: Adobe Illustrator

Difficulty level: Hard

This tutorial teaches you how to design a game character. You can use these as icons or in-game elements. The final result is a top grade character sheet with different facial features and body expressions.

Despite being a bit long and advanced, the tutorial is very well-organized and easy to follow. The writer goes to great lengths explaining each step, giving as much detail as possible. It also comes with some great tips for future designers. The way this artist describes his workflow is simply amazing!

Image Credit : 99designs

Software used: Adobe Photoshop

Difficulty level: Medium

This tutorial demonstrates how to design a pool game icon in Photoshop. Unlike the previous two tutorials, this one uses no hand drawing or blob brush.

We liked this tutorial because it quickly develops an impressive game icon using a few simple shapes and Photoshop effects. A beginner may find the explanation a bit rushed, but we appreciate how the writer breaks down the whole process into simple steps. Definitely worth a look!

There are a ton of mobile game icon design tutorials available on the internet. But like we said, you won’t always find them useful. The six discussed in this article are of a very high quality so they’re certainly a good starting point. Let us know what you think of them in the comments section!

Like all other creative endeavours, developing your designing skills requires a lot of practice. So go and try these tutorials now!