Mobile App Design Inspiration & Trends 

Mobile app design is everything. Why? Well, it’s often considered the most crucial aspect because users’ perception of your application depends so heavily on it. Without a compelling, user-friendly design, retaining your target users might be next to impossible. 

Here, we share some of our top picks for mobile app inspiration to help you create an application that hopefully sells through the roof. But, before we explore cool app designs and their unique elements, let’s first get into the definitions. 

What Is Mobile App Design?

Mobile app design pertains to the complete user interface (UI) from top to bottom of a phone screen. 

But, how do you create the best app design?

Blending the Use of UI and UX to Create the Best Apps

The most successful apps have one thing in common – they effectively combine UI and user experience (UX) elements. UI lends itself to the style of the app, which constitutes colors, layout and fonts. Your goal is to create a simple and engaging design through visual elements. On the other hand, UX focuses on usability and functionality. Therefore, the system must fulfill the users’ needs and have a smooth experience while interacting with the application.

Our Top App Design Inspiration & Trends

Aside from blending UI and UX elements harmoniously, it’s helpful if you also inspect the latest design trends to figure out what design components are practical for your target user pool. 

Here are our top inspirational design trends and ideas to make your mobile app stand out:

Asymmetric Galleries

Asymmetry has recently grown popular in design, especially in mobile apps. Much of it concerns how asymmetry allows the app design to move the same way as the user’s visual flow. Since people’s eyes move in a particular direction when processing optical information, asymmetry allows for a more effortless visual experience. 

90’s Style

Recently, there has been a widespread revival of 90’s trends. Stranger Things, anyone? The younger generation has developed a fascination with everything vintage. In addition, retro styles allow the older generation to experience nostalgia. 

While the 90’s style is commonly found in fashion, the influence has also breached the mobile app design community. 

Examples of 90s Style Retro Design

Below is an example of what some would consider the best app design, which takes inspiration from the colors and patterns of the 90s. Retro fonts, colors and graphics are evident, with large blocks for buttons that resemble those from PlayStation games. However, this trend won’t suit all products and services, so it’s best to experiment first to see if retro is a design suitable for your brand. 

Related: How to Write Content for Mobile App

Comforting Colors

People stare at screens for extended periods, resulting in eye strain and discomfort. To reduce adverse effects, designers and developers created a way to make the browsing experience more comfortable. Cool app designs nowadays often include hues that are easy on the eyes, including pastels, muted tones, soft-focus images of nature and easy-to-scan layouts. 

Your Target Market Should Dictate the Apps Style

Just like the 90’s style, it doesn’t suit every offering in the market. This type of design is often found in meditation and lifestyle apps, such as the example below. 

Spherical Patterns

Spherical patterns have been in design since we can remember. Circles are present in both natural and artificial environments. When used in digital format, they provide interest and fluidity, giving the style a soft and inviting feel. 

Endless Options with Mobile App Customization

The best feature of circular and spherical patterns is that they allow limitless possibilities for experimentation. The app inspiration presented below is just one of the many ways to incorporate the shape into the app layout.

Unusual Text Alignment

One of the most recent design trends is taking liberties with the text alignment of the layout. As a result, you’ll find numerous mobile apps with unconventionally aligned text done vertically and diagonally. But, if you are planning to actualize this app design inspiration, you also need to test out different cases, fonts and spacing until you come up with a style that doesn’t clash with your app’s imagery.

Choose Eye-Catching Designs For Functional Apps With Jackrabbit Mobile

Improve client satisfaction and increase app performance with Jackrabbit Mobile. We develop mobile applications that utilize the best app design principles in the industry, allowing you to give meaningful user experiences to your customers. Create your dream app and reach out to our team today.