diff --git a/Cargo.toml b/Cargo.toml
index 6f27a6fb7a..76a70f715c 100644
--- a/Cargo.toml
+++ b/Cargo.toml
@@ -65,6 +65,10 @@ opt-level = 3
 name = "hello_world"
 path = "examples/hello_world.rs"
 
+[[example]]
+name = "sprite"
+path = "examples/2d/sprite.rs"
+
 [[example]]
 name = "load_model"
 path = "examples/3d/load_model.rs"
diff --git a/crates/bevy_render/src/texture/texture.rs b/crates/bevy_render/src/texture/texture.rs
index 2997d9f379..2f0b182770 100644
--- a/crates/bevy_render/src/texture/texture.rs
+++ b/crates/bevy_render/src/texture/texture.rs
@@ -15,6 +15,12 @@ pub struct Texture {
     pub height: usize,
 }
 
+impl Texture {
+    pub fn aspect(&self) -> f32 {
+        self.height as f32 / self.width as f32
+    } 
+}
+
 impl Asset<TextureType> for Texture {
     fn load(descriptor: TextureType) -> Self {
         let (data, width, height) = match descriptor {
diff --git a/crates/bevy_ui/src/entity.rs b/crates/bevy_ui/src/entity.rs
index b872d2c5b1..3bdae7b92d 100644
--- a/crates/bevy_ui/src/entity.rs
+++ b/crates/bevy_ui/src/entity.rs
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 use super::Node;
-use crate::{render::UI_PIPELINE_HANDLE, ColorMaterial, Rect, QUAD_HANDLE};
+use crate::{render::UI_PIPELINE_HANDLE, ColorMaterial, Rect, QUAD_HANDLE, sprite::Sprite};
 use bevy_asset::Handle;
 use bevy_derive::EntityArchetype;
 use bevy_render::{mesh::Mesh, Renderable};
@@ -28,3 +28,28 @@ impl Default for UiEntity {
         }
     }
 }
+
+#[derive(EntityArchetype)]
+#[module(meta = false)]
+pub struct SpriteEntity {
+    pub sprite: Sprite,
+    pub rect: Rect,
+    pub mesh: Handle<Mesh>,              // TODO: maybe abstract this out
+    pub material: Handle<ColorMaterial>,
+    pub renderable: Renderable,
+}
+
+impl Default for SpriteEntity {
+    fn default() -> Self {
+        SpriteEntity {
+            sprite: Default::default(),
+            rect: Default::default(),
+            mesh: QUAD_HANDLE,
+            material: Default::default(),
+            renderable: Renderable {
+                pipelines: vec![UI_PIPELINE_HANDLE],
+                ..Default::default()
+            },
+        }
+    }
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/crates/bevy_ui/src/lib.rs b/crates/bevy_ui/src/lib.rs
index e7b0d379ab..242e0b1d63 100644
--- a/crates/bevy_ui/src/lib.rs
+++ b/crates/bevy_ui/src/lib.rs
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ pub mod entity;
 mod margins;
 mod node;
 mod rect;
+mod sprite;
 mod render;
 mod ui_update_system;
 
@@ -14,6 +15,7 @@ pub use node::*;
 pub use rect::*;
 pub use render::*;
 pub use ui_update_system::*;
+pub use sprite::*;
 
 use bevy_app::{stage, AppBuilder, AppPlugin};
 use bevy_asset::{AssetStorage, Handle};
@@ -24,6 +26,7 @@ use bevy_render::{
 };
 use glam::Vec2;
 use legion::prelude::IntoSystem;
+use sprite::sprite_system;
 
 #[derive(Default)]
 pub struct UiPlugin;
@@ -42,7 +45,8 @@ impl AppPlugin for UiPlugin {
                 stage::POST_UPDATE,
                 asset_handle_shader_def_system::<ColorMaterial>.system(),
             )
-            .add_system(ui_update_system());
+            .add_system_to_stage(stage::POST_UPDATE, sprite_system())
+            .add_system_to_stage(stage::POST_UPDATE, ui_update_system());
 
         let resources = app.resources();
         let mut render_graph = resources.get_mut::<RenderGraph>().unwrap();
diff --git a/crates/bevy_ui/src/sprite.rs b/crates/bevy_ui/src/sprite.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..789c82ab9d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/crates/bevy_ui/src/sprite.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+use crate::{ColorMaterial, Rect};
+use bevy_asset::{AssetStorage, Handle};
+use bevy_render::texture::Texture;
+pub use legion::prelude::*;
+pub struct Sprite {
+    pub scale: f32,
+}
+
+impl Default for Sprite {
+    fn default() -> Self {
+        Sprite {
+            scale: 1.0
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+pub fn sprite_system() -> Box<dyn Schedulable> {
+    SystemBuilder::new("sprite_system")
+        .read_resource::<AssetStorage<ColorMaterial>>()
+        .read_resource::<AssetStorage<Texture>>()
+        .with_query(
+            <(Read<Sprite>, Read<Handle<ColorMaterial>>, Write<Rect>)>::query().filter(
+                changed::<Sprite>() | changed::<Rect>() | changed::<Handle<ColorMaterial>>(),
+            ),
+        )
+        .build(|_, world, (materials, textures), query| {
+            for (sprite, handle, mut rect) in query.iter_mut(world) {
+                let material = materials.get(&handle).unwrap();
+                if let Some(texture_handle) = material.texture {
+                    let texture = textures.get(&texture_handle).unwrap();
+                    let aspect = texture.aspect();
+                    *rect.size.x_mut() = texture.width as f32 * sprite.scale;
+                    *rect.size.y_mut() = rect.size.x() * aspect;
+                }
+            }
+        })
+}
diff --git a/examples/2d/sprite.rs b/examples/2d/sprite.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..9630d3a8be
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examples/2d/sprite.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+use bevy::prelude::*;
+
+fn main() {
+    App::build()
+        .add_default_plugins()
+        .add_startup_system(setup)
+        .run();
+}
+
+fn setup(world: &mut World, resources: &mut Resources) {
+    let mut texture_storage = resources.get_mut::<AssetStorage<Texture>>().unwrap();
+    let texture_path = concat!(
+        env!("CARGO_MANIFEST_DIR"),
+        "/assets/branding/icon.png"
+    );
+    let texture = Texture::load(TextureType::Png(texture_path.to_string()));
+    let texture_handle = texture_storage.add(texture);
+    let mut color_materials = resources.get_mut::<AssetStorage<ColorMaterial>>().unwrap();
+
+    world
+        .build()
+        .add_entity(Camera2dEntity::default())
+        .add_entity(SpriteEntity {
+            rect: Rect {
+                position: Vec2::new(300.0, 300.0),
+                z_index: 0.5,
+                ..Default::default()
+            },
+            material: color_materials.add(texture_handle.into()),
+            ..Default::default()
+        });
+}
diff --git a/examples/3d/texture.rs b/examples/3d/texture.rs
index ac2ea189cc..13c9d8eacc 100644
--- a/examples/3d/texture.rs
+++ b/examples/3d/texture.rs
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ fn setup(world: &mut World, resources: &mut Resources) {
         "/assets/branding/bevy_logo_dark_big.png"
     );
     let texture = Texture::load(TextureType::Png(texture_path.to_string()));
-    let aspect = texture.height as f32 / texture.width as f32;
+    let aspect = texture.aspect();
     let texture_handle = texture_storage.add(texture);
 
     // create a new quad mesh. this is what we will apply the texture to
diff --git a/examples/ui/ui.rs b/examples/ui/ui.rs
index be3b6d2cb3..7e7371bab9 100644
--- a/examples/ui/ui.rs
+++ b/examples/ui/ui.rs
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ fn setup(world: &mut World, resources: &mut Resources) {
         "/assets/branding/bevy_logo_dark_big.png"
     );
     let texture = Texture::load(TextureType::Png(texture_path.to_string()));
-    let aspect = texture.height as f32 / texture.width as f32;
+    let aspect = texture.aspect();
     let texture_handle = texture_storage.add(texture);
 
     let mut color_materials = resources.get_mut::<AssetStorage<ColorMaterial>>().unwrap();
diff --git a/src/prelude.rs b/src/prelude.rs
index 40a46039d9..e3a0c167e4 100644
--- a/src/prelude.rs
+++ b/src/prelude.rs
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ pub use crate::render::{
 #[cfg(feature = "transform")]
 pub use crate::transform::prelude::*;
 #[cfg(feature = "ui")]
-pub use crate::ui::{entity::*, Anchors, Margins, Node, ColorMaterial};
+pub use crate::ui::{entity::*, Anchors, Rect, Sprite, Margins, Node, ColorMaterial};
 #[cfg(feature = "window")]
 pub use crate::window::{Window, WindowDescriptor, WindowPlugin, Windows};
 pub use crate::{