Whilst this makes interfaces accessible, can you imagine a video player only using text that says "play", "pause", "like", "fullscreen"? Icons provide familiar metaphors to communicate quickly. Without icons, we would be obliged to use text to describe certain functionality to our users. Great icons are both visually pleasing and communicate with users. The biggest pitfall is in using icons because they offer up an aesthetic, not because they communicate. In terms of visuals, interface icons should be varied enough to be distinctive, whilst being consistent enough to work as a cohesive whole. See how the button to write a tweet stands out? On the other hand, creating a contrast from the regular branding can make it even easier to build visual interest. It's the little details which make the difference between a great website and an exceptional website. As you can see in the examples, this shouldn't necessarily be a very difficult task, and it's definitely something you can keep in mind to improve the branding of your website. The look and feel of a website should be reflected in the icons you use. Icon kits are great, but sometimes it's better to try and design your own icons, or edit existing icons (with permission) to suit your needs. Even though this artwork page on Artsy contains a lot of icons, because of the simple branding of the website, the icons work perfectly to help the user make navigation choices. In this screenshot of Behance, the icons are carefully balanced to make understanding the page quicker. Here, the icons have a clear added value and the layout doesn't feel cluttered. The footer of The Verge makes clever use of icons. Certain Windows interfaces use complicated icons, which fail to provide a clean interface and thus decrease the ease of use.īy limiting the amount of icons you use, you will grab the attention of the user faster, making navigation easier. Facebook uses so many icons, they no longer serve to create visual interest but act more as decoration. Their use for navigation on a webpage can often cause dilution. Use too many icons and they'll become nothing more than decoration. They help guide users while they're navigating a page. Icons are most effective when they improve visual interest and grab the user's attention. One of the most common mistakes we make is that we use too many icons in a given setting. In actual fact, it's widely accepted that icons in combination with labels are more quickly processed by users. For this reason, labeling icons (using the title attribute, or perhaps custom tooltips) will improve the effectiveness for learning a new interface and is considered a best practice. It takes us a while to become aware of where everything is and get used to each icon's meaning. Our cultures all have graphic conventions which can lead to confusion about the meaning behind some custom-designed icons.Įxploring a new interface consisting of many icons can be challenging at first sight. Screenshot of The Noun Projectĭesigning an icon which is universally readable is still a huge challenge. This makes them perfect for a digital context, as the Internet is shared by many people and their corresponding cultures. They're instantaneously recognizable and remove open interpretation. The primary attribute for icons is being a common visual language which effectively bridges language gaps. Sometimes however, we forget the reason behind using an icon, and that's when it becomes easy for icons to lose their effectiveness. They enhance the aesthetic of our sites and can provide a better user experience. They are everywhere around us, both online and offline. The number of icons we see on daily basis is amazing.
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