Most professional websites make use of icons to assist visitors to locate what they are looking for and create a distinct appearance. But did you know that even if you aren’t a designer, you can add icons to your own website? In this post, we’ll offer the best locations to find free icons for your website, as well as how to add them to your website.
What are website icons, and why do they matter?
A website icon is an image or a symbol that may be displayed on your website. It might function as a button or a hyperlink that you tap on, or it can be purely aesthetic.
1. Icons may be used to enhance your company’s brand:
Website icons may assist to emphasise the colors, style, voice, and logo of your business. In other words, they are part of the set that gives your graphics a unique and identifiable vibe.
2. Icons make your website easier to navigate:
They’re recognized and assist visitors in navigating your website. A magnification indicates the location of a search bar, a telephone indicates the location of a phone number, a shopping cart indicates the things you wish to purchase, and so on. These standard icons make it simple to navigate an unfamiliar website.
3. Icons improve your website’s overall look:
Website icons are a great method to add white space to your sites. This is the graphic breathing area that enables a website more legible without being excessively crowded or text-heavy.
4. Icons may be understood by everyone:
It’s simple to construct a bilingual website, but icons are a terrific method to deliver your message in a way that everybody can comprehend, regardless of language or location.
Where to find free website icons?
There are several icon libraries available, many of which permit the usage of well-designed icons for free or even with credit. Many stock picture websites have started to provide icons as well. Below are a couple of our favorite sources to find free icons:
Flaticon:
Flaticon provides at least 3,327,500 free vector icons in PNG, SVG, PSD, CPS, and 64 additional image formats to its customers. Flaticon is a great site to search for stunning free vector icons to enhance the visual style of your projects.
As one of the largest libraries of free vector icons, you may not only search and download the icons you need, but you can also post your own icons to increase exposure and feedback as an author.
Icons8:
Icons8 generates free vector icons, graphics, and tools for working with them. The Icons8 team built all of the design elements in-house, and they come in a variety of uniform styles. Icons and whole sets may be recolored using the website or a free app. There are additional plugins for Figma, Illustrator, and Photoshop that allow you to operate with the icons without leaving the apps.
Icons8 graphics are excellent and cover a wide range of subjects. If you’re looking for something special, you may change an illustration or even make your own using an integrated web tool that’s easy to use and doesn’t require any design expertise.
Iamvector:
Icons may be downloaded for free vector icons from the IamVector website. Its services are available to visual artists, graphic designers, and UI/UX designers. Iamvector is a fantastic online tool that provides many options, in addition, to simply icons. They provide a substantial number of cost-free SVG icons and a sizable selection of vector illustrations. As the name would suggest, there are no copywriting limitations and all of their works are free.
Iconfinder:
Iconfinder has 2,592,445 SVG icons and is definitely one of the best free icon search engines. You may discover free patterns for a range of designer colors here. It is crucial to remember, however, that while there are numerous icon libraries available, they may not fit your particular requirements, therefore you may need to change the icons yourself.
The Iconfinder Icon Editor is a new Iconfinder function. It is a free and simple to use online icon editor. You don’t need to download or install anything; you may access it from your browser. It is quite simple to change the icon’s color, size, or text. Even if you don’t have vector drawing software, the Icon Editor can undoubtedly handle your most basic icon editing needs.
Freepik:
Freepik is one of the greatest and most popular internet resources for discovering free vector icons. It describes itself as “the largest search engine for free vectors,” and its goal is to assist users to locate free vector icons, drawings, icons, PSD files, and pictures. Over 815,100 free and premium carriers are available on the website. Unlike many other websites, the quality of the vectors on Freepik is excellent, and you can download them in AI, EPS, or SVG formats.
Vectorstock:
You can search over 200,000 free vector pictures that are found on Vector Stock. Sorting the icons from recent to popular can be done. In terms of formats, it remains the same as available on different sites. Everything is free and yours. However, the artwork vectors are exclusively for personal use, which is a disadvantage for freelance designers.
If you intend to get any of the free vector pictures on this site, you must offer attribution. The ability to click “see similar” on each vector displayed on the homepage to view more like it is a good addition to the information architecture of this website. After viewing a vampire, you may quickly search for further content with the word “Halloween.”
How can you utilize professional icons on your website?
Most online icon stores operate in the same manner. They have hundreds of icons to pick from in a variety of designs. You can download a single icon or a collection of icons. We recommend downloading them as.PNG files, which are suitable for the majority of applications.
Many icon websites provide free icons. However, if you want additional customization choices or to utilize the icons without crediting their source, you’ll need to register an account and maybe upgrade or pay a modest fee.
Remember to follow all permission and usage guidelines.
The majority of these free icon websites exist only because designers have donated their work for anyone to use. Thank you very much, designers!
However, this implies that some give free icons for download in exchange for crediting the artist and linking to where you received the icon. Some sites are OK with a modest credit at the bottom of the page, while others want a larger credit immediately beneath the emblem.
Read the instructions as well, because certain icons are available for use on websites but not in corporate logos or other commercial items.
Tips for using website icons correctly:
Use common symbols: This is one of the rare instances where being unique is detrimental. Choose icons that are apparent and well-known, particularly if the icon is directional—that is, someone must comprehend it or click on it. If it’s simply for show, you have greater leeway, but it shouldn’t be too difficult to figure out. A typical user experience (UX) mistake that people are making when developing their own websites is mixing up icons or confusing users with odd icons.
Use text with an icon if the meaning is not 100% clear: Not every item of content on your website will have a clear emblem to match. That’s why it’s a good idea to complement an icon with words if there may be any confusion. Using text also helps maintain your website accessible to those with impairments who may not have been able to see icons. The most essential thing to keep in mind about icons is that they are supposed to supplement your content rather than replace it.
Test out icons with your website visitors: An icon that is clear to you may not be evident to someone else. That’s why we always advocate performing basic usability testing on your website—basically, gathering a few volunteers and observing how they use your website to determine whether they get stuck or don’t understand anything. This will inform you if your signposts are being appropriately understood.
keep your icons consistent: Icons are most effective when they are all designed in the same style. That is what gives them a polished and professional appearance. As a result, when you utilize icons on your website, their size, color, and design should all be consistent. (However, most icon libraries offer regularly used icons in a set, so you don’t have to mix and match from various sources.) Remember to keep your positioning consistent—whether you add icons to the left or right of your content, or above or below it.
Don’t overdo it: When you understand how simple it is to utilize an icon, you may be tempted to use them all across your website. Just keep in mind that, like most things, they should be used sparingly. Otherwise, your website may become disorganized and crowded.
Wrap-up:
Adding icons to your website can help it become more user-friendly and memorable. Just keep in mind to consider the four major aspects of size, color, location, and consistency when selecting a symbol that effectively communicates with and compliments the text. Have fun and try out some of the alternatives on these icon websites.
