INTRO
Kickbox Recipient: Carina Kaplan Major: Strategic Communications Major In Collaboration With: Daniel Romero & Richard Montano Contact: ckaplan3@elon.edu Sponsor: Amber Moser, Director of Internships, School of Communications Website: kaplancarina.com
THE PROBLEM
In 2024, I received my first Kickbox, where I revised my sticker process to a print-and-cut method. Then, in 2025, I received my second Kickbox, where I revised my sticker process to include design advancements and branding. Now, as a 2026 Kickbox recipient, I've decided to make the leap from a physical medium to a digital medium by learning how to create and publish my first sticker app!
INITIAL PROTOTYPE
The initial prototype involved downloading Xcode and learning how to navigate it. My team and I found out that Xcode offers a Sticker Pack App template, which does not require coding knowledge.
Our initial prototype involved figuring out two things: (1) how to accurately size iMessage App Icons and (2) successfully simulating a successful build.
Eventually, we had to purchase the Apple Developer Program in order to progress further with the FroggyStickers app development.
PROTOTYPE ITERATIONS
The prototype iterations can be thought of as incremental refinements rather than as iterative variations of the app.
Iteration: Polished Logo
I centered and aligned the FroggyStickers app icon and added a green background. Additionally, I created the various sizes Xcode needed for the app icon.
Iteration: Turning Raster Into Vector
To optimize the digitizing process of the froggy stickers, I turned all the raster images (pixel-based) into vector images (math-based). This made the artwork lossless or, in other words, able to be scaled infinitely without losing quality.
Iteration: Other Sideloading Tester
I was able to run a FroggySticker app build on my own phone, downloading a version of the app that wasn't released on the App Store (a process known as sideloading). On my Apple Developer account, I had to register my device to do this. I registered my sponsor's phone to sideload the FroggyStickers app to her phone.
Iteration: 54 Stickers
Having vectorized my froggy sticker drawings, the next step was to import all of the images into Xcode as part of a Sticker Pack.
Iteration (fail): TestFlight
Unfortunately, I was not able to properly utilize TestFlight to do beta testing of FroggyStickers, as I had submitted it for App Store review without enabling TestFlight for the 1.0 version of FroggyStickers. I was able to see what TestFlight would look like as I had invited myself before submission. I just didn't input new testers.
Iteration: App Store Connect
To reach the App Store Connect Distribution step, I had to (1) create a new app record, (2) set my build configuration in Xcode to Release instead of Debug, and then (3) archive my Xcode build to distribute to App Store Connect.
After the above steps were completed, I had to fill out the app information and provide Previews and Screenshots.
After I provided the information, I was able to submit the FroggyStickers app for review.
After the app is approved, I saw that FroggyStickers was Ready for Distribution.
The final result is seeing FroggyStickers on the App Store!
MATERIALS USED
RESOURCES
Sticker Inspiration
Understanding Apple Developer + Xcode
- Making and Releasing an iOS Sticker App by ethan
- The Easy Way to Create iMessage Sticker Packs! by Aryaman Sharda
- iMessage (Apple Developer)
- iMessage Apps and Stickers (Apple Developer)
- Reclaim 16GB of Hard Drive Space From Xcode by CodeWithChris (MAJOR HELP)
- App Store Submission Guide by NDC (MAJOR HELP)
WHAT'S NEXT?
The priority is publishing FroggyStickers for Android. As of now, FroggyStickers is only available on the App Store for iOS (iPhone and iPad).
The next step is finding a way to continue funding FroggyStickers in the App Store. The Apple Developer Program costs $99 annually. Without enrollment in the program, FroggyStickers will be taken down from the App Store.
A major update for FroggyStickers would be to gamify the process of collecting stickers. My team and I had the idea of integrating a gatcha component where users can open sticker packs to collect different froggy stickers.