Elevate UI: custom progress bars & loading animations

This article explores custom-designed loading animations and progress bars. Learn how a touch of creativity can make a difference in your digital products.

Customizing progress bars and loading animations is more than a visual enhancement—it’s a strategic move to improve user experience. Meanwhile, functional, standard loading gifs and progress indicators miss an opportunity to engage and delight users.

These elements can transform passive waiting into an engaging, brand-reinforcing experience by incorporating unique UI illustrations and tailor-made graphics.

Elevate your designs with customizable graphics

We understand how customized graphics can impact user experience. That’s why we’ve curated a collection of UI illustrations and graphics, perfect for bringing a unique touch to your progress bars and loading animations. Here’s what makes our resources a go-to for designers:

Versatile styles: Our library offers a range of styles, from sleek and minimalist to vibrant and playful, ensuring you find the perfect match for your brand.

Seamless integration: Designed for ease of use, our graphics integrate smoothly with various design platforms, simplifying your design process.

Stay trendy: We keep our collection fresh and up-to-date, regularly adding new graphics that reflect the latest trends in design.

Flexibility for customization: Our assets are made to be customized, allowing you to tweak them to fit your unique design vision.

Quality and diversity: With high-quality graphics in numerous categories, we provide options for every design need, aligning with any brand story or theme.

File formats

Icons8 offers a diverse range of file formats for both static and animated graphics to cater to different design needs:

For static images:

Full-sized PNG: Ideal for high-quality, transparent images. Great for web and app interfaces where clarity and detail are key.

SVG: Scalable Vector Graphics ensure your designs remain sharp and clear at any size, making them perfect for responsive designs.

PSD: Photoshop files allow for detailed editing and customization in Adobe Photoshop, giving designers full control over the layers and elements of the image.

For animated graphics:

GIF: These are perfect for simple, lightweight animations for web pages or digital displays.

JSON: Often used with Lottie animations, JSON files provide smooth, scalable animations for web and mobile applications.

AEP: Adobe After Effects Project files are ideal for complex animations, allowing for in-depth editing and customization in After Effects.

These formats provide the versatility and compatibility needed for various design projects, ensuring that you can find the right type of graphic for your specific requirements.

The strategic advantage of customized loading graphics

Here’s why customized progress bars and loading animations offer a strategic advantage in this landscape:

1. Enhanced user engagement: A standard loading GIF might inform the user of a process underway, but a customized animation does more — it engages. You can create a memorable experience even in brief waiting periods by embedding unique UI illustrations into these elements.

2. Brand storytelling: Every element on a screen is an opportunity to tell your brand’s story. Custom loading animations and progress bars are no exception. They offer a creative canvas to express brand personality through colors, style, or thematic graphics. This subtle storytelling reinforces brand identity and builds a deeper connection with users.

3. Standing out in a crowded market: Custom animations can be a differentiator in a sea of standard designs. They offer a unique identity to your digital products, offering a distinct user experience that can become a talking point and a reason for users to return.

4. Reflecting attention to detail: Attention to detail in design demonstrates a commitment to quality and user experience. Customizing these seemingly small elements reflects your brand’s dedication to excellence and can significantly elevate the perceived quality of your product.

5. Adapting to user needs: By analyzing user behavior and preferences, loading animations and progress bars can be designed to cater specifically to your audience. This level of personalization enhances user satisfaction and can improve overall engagement with your product.

Elevate your UI/UX game with Icons8’s unique graphics for progress bars and loading animations. Head over to Ouch by Icons8 to explore and use our diverse collection of illustrations that’ll set your designs apart. Check it out now and bring a new level of engagement to your projects!