Designing an Eye-Catching Event Mobile App

Designing an event or trade show mobile app that captivates your audience’s attention requires creativity, unique branding, and behind the scenes planning. Check out our tips to help you create an app that stands out to your audience, as well as advice to avoid common mistakes. 

Consistent Branding 

When branding your trade show mobile app, it is important to aim for "consistency." Make sure that the visual elements used in the app align with your company's branding guidelines. This is crucial to enhancing the app's visual appeal for end users. You should also incorporate these elements into your show webpage, social media, and advertising to improve brand recognition.  

To achieve this level of consistency, we recommend collaborating with a designer with experience in developing brand resources to create the elements that will be used throughout the show. They can assist your team in establishing the foundation for brand colors, patterns, and other elements to ensure a cohesive look and reinforce your event’s brand identity. This can help to differentiate your show from potential competitor events and make your app more memorable and engaging to users. 

Creating High-Quality Visuals 

Visual elements play a significant role in capturing and maintaining your attendee’s attention. To enhance your app's visual appeal, you will need to use high-quality images, graphics, and icons that resonate with the show branding you have created. As you begin the process of designing the elements to be used within your mobile app, here are the graphics you'll be required to create. 

Must-Have Mobile App Elements 

Splash Screen  

The splash screen is the first thing users see when they launch the show mobile app. This image appears as the app opens. A common mistake when submitting a splash screen is that the image submitted does not accommodate a wide range of devices, and artwork or other logos may not always fit within the given “safe area" or "safe zone.”  

Pro Tip: What is a “Safe Area”?  

The safe area for a mobile app graphic is the center of the screen where the most important content should be placed to make sure that it’s visible on all devices, regardless of screen size or resolution. It's important to keep this in mind when designing graphics for mobile apps to ensure a consistent user experience. 

App Icon 

An app icon is a small graphic that appears on the home screen of a mobile device and serves as a visual for your show’s app. It helps users to quickly locate and access the app they are looking for from their home screens. When designing app icons, keep them simple and include your logo with minimal text. Keep in mind that the icons will appear small on phones. They are typically created with a minimalist approach, avoiding any clutter or additional text that could make the icon difficult to read or identify, playing an important role in the overall user experience. 

Feature Graphic 

The feature graphic is an important creative asset on your Google Play listing, prominently displayed before screenshots. Its primary purpose is to capture the user's attention. Keep text minimal, focusing on the app title and a few descriptive words, such as the event dates and location. 

Additional Mobile App Elements 

Android Notification Icon 

An Android notification icon is a small graphic that appears in the notification tray of an Android device. It alerts users of new messages, updates, or other important information. When submitting materials for your trade show mobile app, it's essential to note that your Android notification icon must be on a transparent background and have a white Icon. This is because the icon will be displayed against a variety of backgrounds, so it needs to be easily visible and recognizable. Submitting the visual in this way is a requirement for approval by the Google Play Store. By making sure that your notification icon meets these requirements, you can help ensure that your app is user-friendly and accessible to all attendees. 

Pro Tip:

Android Notification Icons should have well-centered images as the final result shown to users will have rounded corners. 

Sponsor Splash Screens

Optional for your show management team, you can choose to utilize a sponsorship opportunity for your mobile app with the splash screen. This opportunity is highly sought after and offers the exhibitor the spotlight whenever a user opens the event app. The right trade show management software can offer both a mobile app and sponsorship services to enhance the experience of your audience. 

Resolution for Visuals 

One thing that is often misunderstood when submitting visuals for an event mobile app is resolution. “Resolution” refers to the amount of detail that an image contains, measured in pixels per inch (PPI). Having a high resolution is important because it affects the visual quality of the images, graphics, and icons used within the event app. A higher resolution means that the images will be clearer, sharper, and more detailed, which can enhance the overall visual appeal of the app.  

Without high resolution, the images may appear blurry, pixelated, or distorted, which can negatively impact the user's experience and perception of the app. Additionally, low-resolution images can make your app look unprofessional and may give the impression that it is outdated. 

Pro Tip:

To check the resolution of an image, you can use an image editing software such as Adobe Photoshop. In Adobe Photoshop, you can open the image and go to the "Image" menu, then select "Image Size". In the dialog box that appears, you will see the resolution listed as "Resolution" with a value in pixels per inch (PPI). Alternatively, you can simply right-click on the image file and select "Properties" (on a Windows computer) or "Get Info" (on a Mac) to view the resolution information. 

Conclusion 

To design an eye-catching mobile app for trade shows, it's crucial to take a thoughtful approach to the show’s brand, incorporate high-quality visuals, and design user centric. By following these insights, you can create an app that stands out and reinforces your event’s brand identity. Collaborating with a designer can help ensure consistency in branding while incorporating high-quality graphics that can capture and maintain your attendee’s attention. These strategies can set your trade show apart and make it memorable and engaging for your audience. If you are still deciding on an event mobile app provider, our checklist can help. 

Map Your Show is “Your Trade Show Technology Partner”, offering a wide range of capabilities for your trade show, conference, or industry event, including Event Floor Plan Mapping Software, Conference Management Software, Event Mobile Apps, Exhibitor Education and Sponsorship Opportunities, and more. Let us assist you and your team in creating your ideal trade show and event mobile app. Contact us today for a free demo.