Icon design

Though the design of icons has existed as long as pictograms and ideograms have, modern icon design primarily exists in maps, public infrastructure like wayfinding, and user interfaces for video games, computers, and mobile devices. Physical venues and events make use of either existing symbols from governments (such as the DOT pictograms) or custom icon designs. Custom icons are most visible as application icons, favicons, and user interface toolbar icons on computers and mobile devices.{{Cite web |last=Pavlus |first=John |date=September 18, 2015 |title=Masters of the Small Canvas |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-09-17/drawing-icons-and-emoticons-for-screens-of-all-sizes |url-status=live}}{{Cite web |last=Schonfeld |first=Erick |date=2008-06-07 |title=The Story Behind Google's New Favicon |url=https://techcrunch.com/2008/06/07/the-story-behind-googles-new-favicon/ |access-date=2025-03-22 |website=TechCrunch |language=en-US}}

Modern app icons have a maximum size of 1024×1024 pixels or greater, however icon design involves creating artwork at various sizes for legibility. At smaller sizes, designers often eliminate or reduce unnecessary details while exaggerating important details. Especially for lower-density displays, icons are hinted at various sizes similar to digital type design by aligning shapes to pixel boundaries as to ensure visual clarity. Icons may also need to be altered for different display modes, such as dark mode. The design of icon sets includes consideration to a shared elements, such as a color palette, perspective, and style.{{Cite web |last=Warren |first=Tom |date=2019-12-12 |title=Microsoft reveals new Windows logo design and 100 modern app icons |url=https://www.theverge.com/2019/12/12/21012997/microsoft-new-windows-logo-fluent-design-icons |access-date=2025-03-22 |website=The Verge |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |date=2018-08-23 |title=Facebook Testing New Emoji Designs |url=https://blog.emojipedia.org/facebook-testing-new-emoji-designs/ |access-date=2025-03-22 |website=Emojipedia - The Latest Emoji News |language=en}}

The process of icon design includes defining a metaphor, drawing an illustration, creating any necessary alterations for various sizes, and occasionally assembling files into a folder, ICO file, or ICNS file. Vector icons in apps and websites are usually SVG files.

Due to their high visibility and relation to logo design and branding, new app icons are frequently criticized.{{Cite news |title=Rebranding Lessons From Airbnb, Instagram, and Google |url=https://www.inc.com/anna-guerrero/airbnb-instagram-google-what-marketers-can-learn-from-these-companies-rebrands.html |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20230522170216/https://www.inc.com/anna-guerrero/airbnb-instagram-google-what-marketers-can-learn-from-these-companies-rebrands.html |archive-date=2023-05-22 |access-date=2025-03-22 |work=Inc.com |language=en}}{{Cite news |last=Chen |first=Brian X. |title=Steve Jobs: iTunes 10 Icon Does Not ‘Suck’ |url=https://www.wired.com/2010/09/steve-jobs-itunes/ |access-date=2025-03-22 |work=Wired |language=en-US |issn=1059-1028}}{{Cite web |last=updated |first=Daniel John last |date=2021-03-01 |title=Amazon just fixed its controversial new app icon |url=https://www.creativebloq.com/news/amazon-fixes-controversial-app-icon |access-date=2025-03-22 |website=Creative Bloq |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Beck |first=Kellen |date=2016-05-13 |title=10 app icon redesigns: The good, the bad and the ugly |url=https://mashable.com/article/10-icon-app-redesign-instagram |access-date=2025-03-22 |website=Mashable |language=en}}

{{incomplete list|date=November 2017}}

• Masaru Katsumi - 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo
• Lance Wyman - 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, National Zoo
• Rajie Cook & Dan Shanosky - USDOT pictograms
• Otto Aicher - 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich
• Susan Kare - Classic Mac OS, Facebook gifts{{Cite web |title=Buy a virtual cupcake for breast cancer, on Facebook |url=https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/buy-a-virtual-cupcake-for-breast-cancer-on-facebook/ |access-date=2025-03-22 |website=CNET |language=en}}
• Jon Hicks - Firefox, Skype emoticons,{{Cite web|url=https://hicksdesign.co.uk/journal/new-skype-emoticons|title=New Skype Emoticons {{!}} Hicks Journal|website=hicksdesign.co.uk|language=en|access-date=2018-10-05}} Icon Handbook{{Cite book|title=The icon handbook|last=Jon|first=Hicks|others=Noun Project.|year=2011 |isbn=9781907828034|location=United Kingdom|oclc=778700859}}
• The Iconfactory - Windows XP, Windows Vista,{{Cite web |last=Oiaga |first=Marius |date=2007-05-02 |title=Windows Vista Icons - The Prototypes |url=https://news.softpedia.com/news/Windows-Vista-Icons-The-Lost-Prototypes-53713.shtml |access-date=2025-03-22 |website=softpedia |language=english}} Twitter emoji{{Cite web |date=2015-06-26 |title=The designer behind Twitter's emoji suite: 'Of course I love the smiley poop' |url=https://digiday.com/media/designer-behind-twitters-new-emoji-suite-course-love-smiley-poop/ |access-date=2025-03-22 |website=Digiday |language=en-US}}

• Icon (computing) {{section link | Icon (computing)| Icon creation | nopage=y}}
• Skeuomorph

• [https://developer.apple.com/ios/human-interface-guidelines/graphics/app-icon/ iOS Human Interface Guidelines — App Icon]
• [https://developer.apple.com/library/content/documentation/UserExperience/Conceptual/OSXHIGuidelines/Designing.html macOS Human Interface Guidelines — Designing App Icons]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20170405170647/https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/design/icons Microsoft Design Language — Icons]
• [https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/uwp/style/icons Microsoft Icon guidelines for UWP apps]
• [https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/uxguide/vis-icons Microsoft guidelines on designing Windows Aero Icons]
• [https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/previous-versions/ms997636(v=msdn.10) Microsoft guidelines on designing Windows XP icons]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20150518002812/http://developer.android.com/design/style/iconography.html Android guidelines on icon design]

{{Design}}