page.title=Menu Icons
parent.title=Icon Design Guidelines
parent.link=icon_design.html
@jd:body

<div id="qv-wrapper">
<div id="qv">

<h2>In this document</h2>

<ol>
<li><a href="#icon11">Android 3.0 and Later</a>
<li><a href="#icon9">Android 2.3</a>
  <ol>
    <li><a href="#size9">Size</a></li>
    <li><a href="#style9">Style, colors, and effects</a></li>
    <li><a href="#dodonts9">Do's and don'ts</a></li>
    <li><a href="#examples9">Example icons</a></li>
  </ol>
</li>
<li><a href="#icon1">Android 2.2 and Earlier</a></li>
</ol>

<h2>See also</h2>

<ol>
<li><a href="{@docRoot}guide/practices/screens_support.html">Supporting Multiple
Screens</a></li>
</ol>

</div>
</div>


<div class="note design">
<p><strong>New Guides for App Designers!</strong></p> 
<p>Check out the new documents for designers at <strong><a
href="{@docRoot}design/index.html">Android Design</a></strong>, including more guidelines
for <a href="{@docRoot}design/style/iconography.html">Iconography</a>.</p>
</div>


<p>Menu icons are graphical elements placed in the options menu shown to users
when they press the Menu button. They are drawn in a flat-front perspective and
in greyscale. Elements in a menu icon must not be visualized in 3D or
perspective.</p>

<p>As described in <a
href="{@docRoot}guide/practices/ui_guidelines/icon_design.html#icon-sets">Providing Density-Specific
Icon Sets</a> and <a href="{@docRoot}guide/practices/screens_support.html">Supporting Multiple
Screens</a>, you should create separate icons for all generalized screen densities, including low-,
medium-, high-, and extra-high-density screens. This ensures that your icons will display properly
across the range of devices on which your application can be installed. See <a
href="{@docRoot}guide/practices/ui_guidelines/icon_design.html#design-tips">Tips for Designers</a>
for suggestions on how to work with multiple sets of icons.</p>

<p><strong>Final art must be exported as a transparent PNG file. Do not include
a background color</strong>.</p>

<p>Templates for creating icons in Adobe Photoshop are available in the <a
href="{@docRoot}guide/practices/ui_guidelines/icon_design.html#templatespack">Icon
Templates Pack</a>.</p>


<h2 id="icon11">Android 3.0 and Later</h2>

<p>As of Android 3.0, the options menu has been superseded by the <a
href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/ui/actionbar.html">Action Bar</a>. Please refer to the <a
href="icon_design_action_bar.html">Action Bar Icon Design Guidelines</a> for recommendations on
creating icons for action items.</p>


<h2 id="icon9">Android 2.3</h2>

<p class="caution"><strong>Caution:</strong> The style and content sizing of
menu icons have changed in Android 2.3 compared to
<a href="#icon1">previous versions</a>:
<br>
1. Icons have a larger safe frame; icon content is smaller within the full
asset. Final asset sizes have not changed.
<br>
2. The color palette is slightly lighter.
<br>
3. No outer glow effects are applied.
<br>
4. Menu icons can now be rendered on either dark or light backgrounds.

</p>

<p>The following guidelines describe how to design menu icons for Android
2.3 (API Levels 9 and 10).</p>

<h3 id="size9">Size and positioning</h3>

<p>Menu icons can use a variety of shapes and forms and must be scaled and
positioned inside the asset to create consistent visual weight with other
icons.</p>

<p>Figure 1 illustrates various ways of positioning the icon inside the
asset. You should size the icons <em>smaller than the actual bounds of the
asset</em>, to create a consistent visual weight. If your icon is square or
nearly square, it should be scaled even smaller.</p>

<p>In order to indicate the recommended size for the icon, each example in
Figure 1 includes three different guide rectangles:</p>

<ul>
<li>The red box is the bounding box for the full asset.</li>
<li>The blue box is the recommended bounding box for the actual icon.
The icon box is sized smaller than the full asset box to allow for
varying icon shapes while maintaining a consistent visual weight.</li>
<li>The orange box is the recommended bounding box for the actual icon when
the content is square. The box for square icons is smaller than that for other
icons to establish a consistent visual weight across the two types.</li>
</ul>

<table>
<tr>

<td style="border:0;">
<ol class="nolist">
  <li>Menu icon dimensions for high-density (<code>hdpi</code>) screens:</li>
  <ol class="nolist">
    <li>Full Asset: 72 x 72 px</li>
    <li>Icon: 48 x 48 px</li>
    <li>Square Icon: 44 x 44 px</li>
  </ol>
  </li>
</ol>
</td>
<td style="border:0;">
  <img src="{@docRoot}images/icon_design/menu_size_hdpi.png" width="450">
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border:0;">
  <ol class="nolist">
  <li>Menu icon dimensions for medium-density (<code>mdpi</code>) screens:</li>
    <ol class="nolist">
      <li>Full Asset: 48 x 48 px</li>
      <li>Icon: 32 x 32 px</li>
      <li>Square Icon: 30 x 30 px</li>
    </ol>
  </li>
</ol>
</td>

<td style="border:0;">
 <img src="{@docRoot}images/icon_design/menu_size_mdpi.png" width="450">
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border:0;">
  <ol class="nolist">
  <li>Menu icon dimensions for low-density (<code>ldpi</code>) screens:</li>
    <ol class="nolist">
      <li>Full Asset: 36 x 36 px</li>
      <li>Icon: 24 x 24 px</li>
      <li>Square Icon: 22 x 22 px</li>
    </ol>
  </li>
</ol>
</td>

<td style="border:0;">
 <img src="{@docRoot}images/icon_design/menu_size_ldpi.png" width="450">
</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td style="border:0;"></td>
<td style="border:0;">
 <p class="table-caption"><strong>Figure 1.</strong>
 Menu icon sizing and positioning inside the bounds of the
 icon asset.</p>
</td>
</tr>

</table>




<h3 id="style9">Style, colors, and effects</h3>

<p>Menu icons are flat, pictured face on, and greyscale. A slight deboss and
some other effects, which are shown below, are used to create depth. Menu icons
should include rounded corners, but only when logically appropriate.</p>

<p>In order to maintain consistency, all menu icons must use the same
color palette and effects, as shown in Figure 2.</p>



<table class="image-caption">
<tr>
<td class="image-caption-i">
  <img src="{@docRoot}images/icon_design/menu_style.png" alt="A view of light, effects, and shadows for menu icons."/>
</td>
<td class="image-caption-c">
  <div class="caption grad-rule-top">
    <p><strong>Figure 2. </strong>Style, light and effects for menu icons.</p>
    <div class="image-caption-nested">
    <p><em>Note: all pixel dimensions are for medium density and should be scaled appropriately for other densities.</em></p>
    <table>
    <tr><td><em>1.</em></td><td nowrap>Corner rounding:</td><td>2 pixel corner radius, when appropriate<br><br></td></tr>
    <tr><td><em>2.</em></td><td nowrap>Fill gradient:</td><td>90&deg;, from <code>#8C8C8C</code> to <code>#B2B2B2</code><br><br></td></tr>
    <tr><td><em>3.</em></td><td nowrap>Inner shadow:</td><td><code>#000000</code>, 20% opacity<br>angle 90&deg;<br>distance 2px<br>size 2px<br><br></td></tr>
    <tr><td><em>4.</em></td><td nowrap>Inner bevel:</td><td>depth 1%<br>direction down<br>size 0px<br>angle 90&deg;<br>altitude 10&deg;<br>highlight <code>#ffffff</code>, 70% opacity<br>shadow <code>#000000</code>, 25% opacity</td></tr>
    </table>
    </div>
  </div>
</td>
</tr>
</table>




<h3 id="dodonts9">Do's and don'ts</h3>

<p>Below are some "do and don't" examples to consider when creating menu icons for
your application. </p>


<img src="{@docRoot}images/icon_design/do_dont_menuicons.png">




<h3 id="examples9">Example icons</h3>

<p>Shown below are standard high-density menu icons that are used in the Android
platform.</p>

<p class="warning"><strong>Warning:</strong> Because these resources can change
between platform versions, you should not reference these icons using the
Android platform resource IDs (i.e. menu icons under
<code>android.R.drawable</code>). If you want to use any icons or other internal
drawable resources, you should store a local copy of those icons or drawables in
your application resources, then reference the local copy from your application
code. In that way, you can maintain control over the appearance of your icons,
even if the system's copy changes. Note that the grid below is not intended to
be complete.</p>

<img src="{@docRoot}images/icon_design/menu_standard.png" />




<h2 id="icon1">Android 2.2 and Earlier</h2>

<p>The following guidelines describe how to design menu icons for Android 2.2
(API Level 4) and earlier. Menu icons in Android 2.2 and below are drawn in a
flat-front perspective. Elements in a menu icon must not be visualized in 3D or
perspective.</p>

<h3 id="structure1">Structure</h3>

<ul>
<li>In order to maintain consistency, all menu icons must use the same
primary palette and the same effects. For more information, see the
menu icon <a href="#palette1">color palette</a>. </li>

<li>Menu icons should include rounded corners, but only when logically
appropriate. For example, in Figure 3 the logical place for rounded corners is
the roof and not the rest of the building.</span></li>

<li>All dimensions specified on this page are based on a 48x48 pixel artboard 
size with a 6 pixel safeframe.</li>

<li>The menu icon effect (the outer glow) described in <a
href="#style1">Light, effects, and shadows</a> can overlap the 6px safeframe,
but only when necessary. The base shape must always stay inside the
safeframe.</li>

<li><strong>Final art must be exported as a transparent PNG file.</strong></li>

<li>Templates for creating menu icons in Adobe Photoshop are available in the 
Icon Templates Pack.</li>
</ul>

<table class="image-caption">
<tr>
<td class="image-caption-i">
  <img src="{@docRoot}images/icon_design/menu_structure.png" alt="A view of menu
icon structure." />
</td>
<td class="image-caption-c">
  <div class="caption grad-rule-top">
    <p><strong>Figure 3. </strong>Safeframe and corner-rounding for menu
icons. Icon size is 48x48.</p>
  </div>
</td>
</tr>
</table>


<h3 id="style1">Light, effects, and shadows</h3>

<p>Menu icons are flat and pictured face on. A slight deboss and some other
effects, which are shown below, are used to create depth.</p>

<table class="image-caption">
<tr>
<td class="image-caption-i">
  <img src="{@docRoot}images/icon_design/menu_light.png" alt="A view of light, effects, and shadows for launcher icons."/>
</td>
<td class="image-caption-c">
  <div class="caption grad-rule-top">
    <p><strong>Figure 4. </strong>Light, effects, and shadows for launcher icons.</p>
    <div class="image-caption-nested">
    <table>
    <tr><td><em>1.</em></td><td>Front part:</td><td>Use fill gradient from primary color palette</td></tr>
    <tr><td><em>2.</em></td><td>Inner shadow:</td><td>black | 20 % opacity<br>angle 90° | distance 2px<br>size 2px</td></tr>
    <tr><td><em>3.</em></td><td>Outer glow:</td><td>white | 55% opacity <br>spread 10% | size 3px</td></tr>
    <tr><td><em>5.</em></td><td>Inner bevel:</td><td>depth 1% | direction down size 0px<br>angle 90° | altitude 10°<br>highlight white 70% opacity<br>shadow black 25% opacity</td></tr>
    </table>
    </div>
  </div>
</td>
</tr>
</table>

<table>
<tr>
<td style="border:0">

<h4 id="palette1">Color palette</h4>

<table>
<tr>
<td class="image-caption-i"><img src="{@docRoot}images/icon_design/menu_palette_white.png"/></td>
<td class="image-caption-c">White<br>r 255 | g 255 | b 255<br>Used for outer glow and bevel highlight.</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td class="image-caption-i"><img src="{@docRoot}images/icon_design/menu_palette_gradient_medium.png"/></td>
<td class="image-caption-c">Fill gradient<br><em>1:&nbsp;&nbsp;</em>r 163 | g 163 | b 163<br><em>2:&nbsp;&nbsp;</em>r 120 | g 120 | b 120<br>Used as color fill.</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td class="image-caption-i"><img src="{@docRoot}images/icon_design/menu_palette_black.png"/></td>
<td class="image-caption-c">Black<br>r 0 | g 0 | b 0<br>Used for inner shadow and bevel shadow.</td>
</tr>

</table>

</td>

<td style="border:0">

<h4 id="steps1">Step by step</h4>

<ol>
<li>Create the basic shapes using a tool like Adobe Illustrator.</li>
<li>Import the shape into a tool like Adobe Photoshop and scale to fit an image
of 48x48 px on a transparent background. Mind the safeframe.</li>
<li>Add the effects seen as described in Figure 4.</li>
<li>Export the icon at 48x48 as a PNG file with transparency enabled.</li>
</ol>

</td>
</tr>
</table>
