One app, two compositions: designing header and search creatives

Begin with one thing your app actually helps someone do. That idea should guide the headline, screenshot and artwork. Collect the evidence first: a screenshot from the current app, the app icon you have permission to use, and a short description of the feature you are showing.

Choose an honest visual anchor

Your original screenshot is usually the strongest anchor. It shows the product someone will use after installing. Keep it as a separate layer so you can replace an outdated screen without rebuilding the background.

Use AI artwork for the surrounding visual setting. A landscape can suit a hiking app; a restrained abstract background can suit a focus tool. Avoid asking the model to invent app UI, ratings, awards or feature labels. Generated interfaces can look convincing while describing a product that does not exist.

Give the header breathing room

The wide header can hold a large headline alongside a screenshot. Start with short copy and move the text to a quiet area of the background. If the screenshot contains small labels, enlarge the screenshot rather than adding more descriptive text around it.

In the image editor, change the header’s text position and screenshot size, then export and inspect it at full resolution. Preview scaling is useful for composition, but a small preview cannot tell you how every detail looks in the downloaded file.

Recompose the search version

Switch to the search placement before changing its headline or layout controls. Its copy and positions are separate from the header. Keep the same app name, palette and typeface, but choose a shorter headline if the wider version wraps badly.

Place the screenshot where it supports the message. Check that its edges remain visible and that the headline is easy to read against the background. The editor’s guides are composition aids, not an official Apple safe-area guarantee.

Work through language changes explicitly

You can enter translated copy in the headline and supporting text fields. The current editor does not translate your app or promise language-specific typography. Review spelling, line breaks and font support in every version you produce. Save a separate cloud project or export an editable backup before replacing one language with another.

Export a pair you can maintain

Download the two image files together, then review each one on its own. Keep the manifest with the package and archive your original screenshot, icon and project backup. Use a consistent filename for each app version so an old screenshot does not accidentally make its way into a new launch.

Apple’s creative asset best practices are the reference for the final creative review. Templates offer a starting point; your app’s actual features and available placements should determine the finished artwork.