Designing for Snapchat’s premium features

More than 7 million Snapchat users subscribe to Snapchat+, a premium tier offering exclusive, experimental, and pre-release features. These features enhance and customize the Snapchat experience, enabling users to dive deeper into the parts of the app they use the most.

As a 3D Designer on the team, I create exclusive assets for these millions of Snapchat+ users. These assets include app icons, camera capture buttons, and chat wallpapers.

Some of the assets I’ve worked on are pictured below.

Art Direction: Yu Lu

My role: Concepting, 3D Illustration, Animation, Motion Design

App icon designs presented at the Snap Partner Summit 2023.

App Icons

Instead of the regular Snapchat app icon of the ghost on a yellow background, users can select a new, customized design to replace the icon. The new artwork appears on their home screen and anywhere else on their phone where the app is visible.

Snapchat+ users can change their app icon to a customized one, as pictured here.

Process

All app icons follow a rigorous process of concepting, feedback, and revisions. The sketch communicates the general idea and composition of the icon, which is then reviewed and approved by the Snapchat+ team. Then, the icon is developed in whatever medium best illustrates the concept.

Typically, for my icons, this is a combination of 3D (using Cinema 4D and Octane) and 2D (using Adobe Photoshop).

Capture Buttons

Users can select a special animation to replace their regular camera capture button. These animations follow seasonal themes and often accompanied the app icons and wallpapers.

Chat Wallpapers

Users can select a new wallpaper to serve as the backdrop for their chats with friends. Wallpapers can be selected on a chat-basis, so each friend can share a different background with the user.