When you hire me to design your app store screenshots, the quality of the final result depends directly on what you share with me upfront. The more context I have, the faster we move and the better the screenshots convert.
Here’s exactly what I need from you, broken into what’s essential and what’s nice to have.
Essential: I can’t start without this
1. Access to your app
I need to see and interact with your app to capture real screens and understand the user experience. For iOS, send me a TestFlight invite. For Android, share an internal testing link or APK. If your app isn’t ready yet, high-fidelity mockups or a Figma prototype work as a starting point — but real app access always produces better results.
2. Your top 3-5 features to highlight
You know your app better than anyone. Tell me which features matter most to your users and which ones you want the screenshots to focus on. Rank them by importance — this determines the order and emphasis of the screenshot set.
Don’t give me a list of 15 features. Give me the 3-5 that would make someone download.
3. Your target audience
Who is your ideal user? Age range, profession, goals, pain points. “Everyone” is not an answer. The more specific you are, the better I can tailor the visual tone and messaging. “Freelancers aged 25-40 who struggle to track time” tells me a lot more than “people who need a timer.”
4. Your value proposition in one sentence
What makes your app different from the alternatives? This becomes the foundation of the screenshot messaging. If you can’t explain it in one sentence, we should figure that out together before designing anything.
Important: Makes the result significantly better
5. Brand guidelines
If you have a color palette, typography, or logo guidelines, share them. If you don’t have formal guidelines, at least tell me your brand colors and share your logo files. I’ll work with what you have.
6. Competitor examples
Share 2-3 apps in your category whose screenshots you like — or don’t like. Tell me what specifically works or doesn’t. “I like how Headspace uses calm visuals but I think Calm’s screenshots are too minimal” is incredibly helpful.
7. Existing marketing copy
If you’ve already written your app description, taglines, or any marketing text, share it. This saves time and keeps the screenshot captions consistent with the rest of your listing.
Nice to have: Speeds things up
8. Demo data or content
Screenshots with realistic, populated content always outperform empty states. If your app needs sample data to look good (like a fitness tracker with logged workouts, or a notes app with actual notes), prepare some demo content or tell me what to use.
9. Device preferences
Any preference on device frames? Do you want iPhone mockups, edge-to-edge screenshots, or something else? If you’re not sure, I’ll recommend what works best for your category.
10. Localization needs
Is this English only or do you need screenshots in multiple languages? Let me know upfront so I can plan the design to accommodate text changes.
What I handle on my side
You don’t need to worry about:
- Screenshot dimensions and technical specs for each store
- Visual composition and layout
- Typography and visual hierarchy
- Ensuring compliance with Apple and Google guidelines
- Creating a narrative flow across the screenshot set
That’s my job. Your job is to give me the raw material — the app, the features, and the context.
How to share everything
The simplest way: send me a short brief with the essentials above, plus access to the app. A bullet-point document works perfectly. No need for a formal creative brief — just clear, specific answers.