I think we can all agree that the Google Play Store has a lot of apps which are ugly. Whether they are indie developers or huge corporations (looking at you Netflix, and many more).
So my question is .. How is this still happening?
I am not artistic, I seriously sucked at graphics and art at school. But, I like to think that my apps are relatively well designed. This is due to free (and cheap) resources which I will cover here:
Sketch
OK, so this first one is not free .. but it is cheap ($50). This compared with PhotoShop (You can no longer buy outright $20 per month). Of course Sketch doesn’t do all the amazing things that Photoshop can do but for UI design I really like it.
Android Icons
Again, not free, $25 for 200 holo styled icons. All in 4 sizes (ldpi, mdpi, hdpi, & xhdpi) and 14 colors. That’s great as it is, but you also get the source so you can edit, enlarge, change colors etc. (SVG files works great with Sketch)
Android Templates by Taylor Ling
Taylor Ling is a designer. He made a template pack for Photoshop to aid design. However if you don’t have Photoshop, you can’t make use of the psd files. He also made a pack for Google Drive, when you open the template in Slides you can choose File -> Export -> and choose SVG. This file can then be edited in Sketch. (Or another Vector graphics application).
Many thanks to Neil Davies for informing me about some additional UI templates specifically for Sketch:
Nils Keesmekers has created a template based on Taylor Ling’s specifically for Sketch. And also Thierry Teyssier has created an Android UI XHDPI Template for Sketch
Android Asset Studio
The Android Asset Studio was created by Roman Nurik and lets you quickly and easily create launcher icons, notification icons, 9 patch PNGs, and device framed screenshots.
Also included in the Android Asset Studio is Action Bar Style Generator by Jeff Gilfelt. There you can quickly and easily re-style the Action Bar and menu items. The end product is a zip file with all the images and styles you need, these can be imported into your project and you’re done.
And lastly in Android Asset Studio there is Holo Colors Generator by Jérôme Van Der Linden. There you can generate holo styled ui components styles in whatever color you like. This is great if you want to stick to the holo theme, but want to change the accent color.
ShapeItApp
This is a great website where you can upload screenshots and have them framed in a device. It works with Android, iPhone, Laptop, and Blackberry application screenshots.
Android Designer Google+ Community
This community was started by Paul Burke and is a great place to get ideas, and participate in Android design discussions.
Android Developers YouTube Channel
Not only is this a great place for developers, but also for design. The Weekly Android Design In Action by Nick Butcher and Roman Nurik is a must watch. Also a great ongoing series by Ankur Kotwal about how to make your app beautiful.
Flat Ui Colors
This is a personal favourite of mine. It is a simple set of colors that go well together, but I find it incredibly useful.
Aside from these resources, you should really look at other apps .. see what looks good.
Where economically viable, a professional designer is of course recommended. But hopefully these resources can help indie developers.
So there .. There is no reason to produce ugly apps anymore 
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