When you start designing a website, you often spend a lot of time deciding on visual elements that can significantly impact the design. There are many elements to consider, and today I’m going to talk about the importance of choosing a good set of icons that perfectly match your website.
Is it important to have icons in tune with your brand’s essence? Does having standard icons affect your image? Yes, it does. I’ll explain the importance of icons adapted to your visual image and what to consider when choosing them. The images I use as examples are the organic icons I’ve designed for my personal brand.
Default icons: YES or NO?
Better not. It’s preferable to select a set of icons in harmony with your corporate identity and implement them on your website.
In many WordPress templates, you’ll see default icons from “Fontawesome,” which are good but widely used. You want to stand out, right? Small details not only count but also enhance and make you chosen over your competitors, like good personalised icons for your brand.
How to choose an icon set
Consider the style of your logo and overall visual identity. Is it a thick or thin line? Are the angles rounded or pointed? What does your visual image reflect? Determine the style, what it conveys, whether it’s minimalist, organic, or technological.
When choosing your set, it’s essential to have a list of what you want these icons for, where you want to place them, and what they will illustrate. This way, you’ll have all this in mind when searching and choose a set that contains these elements, resulting in cool, consistent icons.
Types of Icons Based on Your Brand
Here are some examples:
- Yoga instructor: Choose minimalist icons with thin lines and rounded edges to reflect calmness. Align the colours with your brand, perhaps lightening them with white for a great look.
- Healthy eating: Opt for more organic-looking icons that appear hand-drawn, conveying an eco-friendly and unprocessed product vibe.
- Psychology practice: For closeness, personalised icons are essential. Match the line style of your logo in the icons to make everything coherent. Generally, choose soft and rounded lines in subtle colours for a friendly feel.
Where to find icon sets
- If you opt for the free icons route, here are some options: Flaticon, The Noun Project, Freepik.
- For premium icons, consider: Shutterstock, Freepik Premium, Big Stock Photo, Creative Market.
My recommendation for choosing icons
Go for premium icons, which are less common, or even better, custom icons that reflect 100% of what you and your brand are. They might be less economical, but they are a visually striking and essential part of your website. Not only will they help structure information on your site (making it clearer to scan and read), but they will also enhance your brand image on your website and social media.
How I design icons
I always start with background music… from classical, pop, rock to movie soundtracks (Attention! Geek moment: one of my favourites is The Lord of the Rings, the Shire part, and Harry Potter).
I make a list of the themes I want to illustrate, write them down to visualise the words, and start sketching in pencil; always on loose sheets to avoid restricting my creativity.
For themes I’m unsure about, I search for images on Google, focusing on small details to synthesise the idea into an easily recognisable icon.
Then I take photos of the sketches and digitise them with Illustrator. For organic icons, I use the “pencil” tool for a more organic illustration. Then I smooth the lines, incorporate my brand colours, and ready to rock!
If you need a set of icons for your brand, email me to see how I can help at hola@pilarios.com.
