The end-of-year season is an excellent time for app store updates, with Christmas and Halloween going strong. You can spot seasonal themes in many iOS App Store icons of Merge with Meta mobile games in the United States. To keep up with competitors, here’s a closer look at what seasonal app icon trends include and their timing.
What defines seasonal icons?
A quick glance at the icons reveals a focus on traditional seasonal elements. While the character layout often remains consistent with previous updates, the character attire, surrounding objects, and environments create the holiday theme.
Gossip Harbor®: Merge & Story – last three icon updates
When are icons updated?
Based on data from the past year:
- Christmas icons 2–3 weeks before the holidays.
- Halloween icons slightly earlier, around 3–4 weeks before the festive day.
Christmas icon themes
Christmas-themed icons show elements that convey calmness, warmth, and festivity. These include:
- Attire: Santa hats and other Christmas-themed clothing, often in red and white.
- Decorations: Christmas trees, cube-shaped presents with bows, and winter elements like snowy environments and snowflakes.
- Colors: Festive colors connected to the holiday (red, green, and white) make a strong connection to the holiday season.
Halloween icon themes
Halloween icons, on the other hand, embrace spookiness and mystery. Common elements include:
- Attire: Character dressed as a witch, including a pointed hat.
- Decorations: Carved glowing pumpkins and silhouettes of tree branches.
- Colors: The dark blue and purple backgrounds help create a mysterious nighttime atmosphere, capturing the spirit of Halloween.
Conclusion on seasonal app icon trends
The Merge with Meta icons effectively use traditional seasonal elements to bring out emotions associated with Christmas and Halloween. Their updates ahead of time and consistent use of recognizable elements make sure app store visitors feel the festive spirit. This can help the app or game feel more relatable and fresher as it actively celebrates the same season as many of the users.
Bonus tip: A/B testing holiday assets early on can give you insights into the best-performing creatives. The best way of doing it is by using third-party tools. If you want to get started on testing any upcoming seasonal assets, let’s chat!
