Widgetbox Mobile Web Apps—Simple Ways to Integrate Your Brand Identity

Andy Yang

Senior UE Engineer

As part of Widgetbox's staff series—we'll be bringing you occasional guest posts from members of the Widgetbox team.

With the introduction of Widgetbox's mobile web app product, it's never been easier to get your own mobile web app up and running within a few minutes. You can quickly and easily pull in existing content (blog feeds, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Flickr, etc.), or create new content with our easy-to-use templates (Polls, Maps, Contacts, etc.), but that's just the first step.

Just as we've made it easy to define and create your mobile app's content, we've made it just as easy for you to style that content to reflect your brand's identity. Here are just a few quick ways to add that personal touch to your mobile app and really make it your own.

• 
  

  1. Use a header image instead of text

  
  
  

  A simple and effective way to integrate your brand into your mobile web app is to include your app or business logo in the header. Most image formats will work, but to make your logo image look its best, you should use a transparent PNG image so that it will properly be displayed on top of the existing title bar.

• 2. Customize your colors

  
  

  Colors can have a significant impact on how users identify with your mobile app and with your brand. With the Poly Vinyl and Frosted Glass themes, you can customize the colors of the background, text, and menu to match up with your brand's identity.

• 3. Create a splash page

  
  
  

  A well designed splash page can effectively communicate your brand's message right up front. As with all aspects of your mobile site, you can also easily update the content on your splash page at any time to keep it fresh and up-to-date.

  
  

  
  A few notes on customizing your splash page (these tricks are optional, but if you experiment with them, you can get some nice results):
  
  
  Background Gradient: You can apply a background gradient on your page. The first color value that you supply will gradually fade top-to-bottom into the second color value.
  
  Background Tile: You can supply an image that will be tiled on the page background. PROTIP: If this background tile image is a transparent PNG file, the background colors will show through. You can use this method to get some nice background textures that will work with any background color you choose.

• 
  

  4. Use custom icons on your page menu

  
  
  

  Add some quirkiness and individuality to your mobile app by using custom icons for your pages instead of the default icons. There are over 200 icons for you to choose from to match your brand's unique personality.

To get started trying out different customization options such as a personalized header—sign up for a free mobile trial at the basic Gold level. If you're interested in trying out more advanced customization options (such as custom colors, splash pages, or icon) sign up for a free trial at the Platinum or Diamond level.

—When Andy isn't busy being a Google genius and keeping on the forefront of UE development trends, he enjoys food-based hobbies such as eating McRib sandwiches and cake decorating.