---
title: "Branding | Apple Developer Documentation"
source: https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/branding

# Branding

Apps and games express their unique brand identity in ways that make them instantly recognizable while feeling at home on the platform and giving people a consistent experience.

![A sketch of a megaphone, suggesting communication. The image is overlaid with rectangular and circular grid lines and is tinted yellow to subtly reflect the yellow in the original six-color Apple logo.](https://docs-assets.developer.apple.com/published/8ea20e1bc15bc51d9242f39c27cbb0c6/foundations-branding-intro%402x.png)

In addition to expressing your brand in your [app icon](https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/app-icons) and throughout your experience, you have several opportunities to highlight it within the App Store. For guidance, see [App Store Marketing Guidelines](https://developer.apple.com/app-store/marketing/guidelines/).

## [Best practices](https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/branding#Best-practices)

**Use your brand’s unique voice and tone in all the written communication you display.** For example, your brand might convey feelings of encouragement and optimism by using plain words, occasional exclamation marks and emoji, and simple sentence structures.

**Consider choosing an accent color.** On most platforms, you can specify a color that the system applies to app elements like interface icons, buttons, and text. In macOS, people can also choose their own accent color that the system can use in place of the color an app specifies. For guidance, see [Color](https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/color).

**Consider using a custom font.** If your brand is strongly associated with a specific font, be sure that it’s legible at all sizes and supports accessibility features like bold text and larger type. It can work well to use a custom font for headlines and subheadings while using a system font for body copy and captions, because the system fonts are designed for optimal legibility at small sizes. For guidance, see [Typography](https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/typography).

**Ensure branding always defers to content.** Using screen space for an element that does nothing but display a brand asset can mean there’s less room for the content people care about. Aim to incorporate branding in refined, unobtrusive ways that don’t distract people from your experience.

**Help people feel comfortable by using standard patterns consistently.** Even a highly stylized interface can be approachable if it maintains familiar behaviors. For example, place UI components in expected locations and use standard symbols to represent common actions.

**Resist the temptation to display your logo throughout your app or game unless it’s essential for providing context.** People seldom need to be reminded which app they’re using, and it’s usually better to use the space to give people valuable information and controls.

**Avoid using a launch screen as a branding opportunity.** Some platforms use a launch screen to minimize the startup experience, while simultaneously giving the app or game a little time to load resources (for guidance, see [Launch screens](https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/launching#Launch-screens)). A launch screen disappears too quickly to convey any information, but you might consider displaying a welcome or onboarding screen that incorporates your branding content at the beginning of your experience. For guidance, see [Onboarding](https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/onboarding).

**Follow Apple’s trademark guidelines.** Apple trademarks must not appear in your app name or images. See [Apple Trademark List](https://www.apple.com/legal/intellectual-property/trademark/appletmlist.html) and [Guidelines for Using Apple Trademarks](https://www.apple.com/legal/intellectual-property/guidelinesfor3rdparties.html).

## [Platform considerations](https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/branding#Platform-considerations)

 _No additional considerations for iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, visionOS, or watchOS._

## [Resources](https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/branding#Resources)

#### [Related](https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/branding#Related)

[Marketing resources and identity guidelines](https://developer.apple.com/app-store/marketing/guidelines/)

[Show more with app previews](https://developer.apple.com/app-store/app-previews/)

[Color](https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/color)

