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Next Article:
How to Use Images for Efficient Web Design ?
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Significance of Icons in User Interface Design

Last Updated : 18 Apr, 2025
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Icons are an important part of user interfaces, which are used in expressing objects, actions, and ideas. They are used to communicate the core idea and intent of a product or action. So, they bring a lot of benefits to user interfaces.

Table of Content

  • What are the Icons Used for?
  • Types of Icons
  • Key Principles of Icon Design
  • Creating a Simple Icon in Figma
  • Benefits of Using Icons

What are the Icons Used for?

Icons are used to present information visually. For example, Instead of writing a text message of instruction over a small button, you just design an icon representing that message. That reduces the space that could have been taken by text message and it provides a cleaner and concise user experience.

So, primarily icon is used to communicate the message very rapidly and effectively.

Types of Icons

  • Glyph icons: These are symbols and are frequently solid. They can be scaled to whichever size you want and can be customized with different colors and shadow effects. Because they are generally a solid color, icons can work really well at small sizes, but may not behave as required at larger sizes.
  • Colored icons: These icons have color. They can either have a solid color or a gradient color scheme. The drawback of colored icons is that they can be more challenging to integrate into UI and can even distract users from the main content.
  • Universal icons: These icons are noticed instantly, and usually represent repetitive actions. Universal actions in any product should be depicted with universal icons to avoid any chaos.
  • Unique icons: They represent unique features. The drawback of using them is that they are very hard for first-time users to understand. So, make sure that you include text labels when you use them.
  • Outlined icons: These are created by strokes and are empty from the inside. They are clean and simple but they take users more time to process and recognize.
  • Conflicting icons: If Multiple icons present the same concept that is conflicting icons.

Key Principles of Icon Design

  • Keep icons simple and uncluttered.
  • Ensure icons clearly convey their intended meaning.
  • Maintain a consistent style within your icon set.
  • Make icons relevant to their context.
  • Design icons to work at various sizes.
  • Keep elements well-aligned and balanced.
  • Test icons at smaller sizes for readability.
  • Choose colors carefully for accessibility.
  • Utilize negative space effectively.
  • Establish hierarchy within icon sets.
  • Maintain uniform stroke width.
  • Gather user feedback and iterate designs.
  • Follow platform-specific design guidelines.

Creating a Simple Icon in Figma

You can create an icon on any UI design tools like figma, adobeXD etc. I am using Figma to create a simple circular icon. Here, we will understand this with an example.

Note: To generate code out of the created icon in figma use a plugin like anima.

Example: Let us create an icon representing GFG logo.

Converting to code using the figma plugin (anima) going to dev mode results into,

HTML 
<!DOCTYPE html> <html> <head>     <style>             .box {       width: 265px;       height: 246px;       margin:auto;       text-align: center;     }     .box > div:first-child{         color:green;         font-size: larger;     }          .box .group {       width: 269px;       height: 246px;          }          .box .overlap-group {       position: relative;       width: 265px;       height: 246px;     }          .box .text-wrapper {       width: 213px;       left: 90px;       position: absolute;       top: 0;       font-family: "Inter-Regular", Helvetica;       font-weight: 400;       color: #0abd1c;       font-size: 217px;       letter-spacing: 0;       line-height: normal;       white-space: nowrap;     }          .box .div {         width: 64px;         left: 80px;         transform: rotateY(180deg);         position: absolute;         top: 0;         font-family: "Inter-Regular", Helvetica;         font-weight: 400;         color: #0abd1c;         font-size: 217px;         letter-spacing: 0;         line-height: normal;         white-space: nowrap;     }          .box .rectangle {         position: absolute;         width: 154px;         height: 17px;         top: 124px;         left: 50px;         background-color: #0abd1c;     }      </style> </head>  <body>     <div class="box">         <div>GeeksforGeeks</div>         <div class="group">             <div class="overlap-group">                 <div class="text-wrapper">G</div>                 <div class="div">G</div>                 <div class="rectangle"></div>             </div>         </div>     </div> </body>  </html>

Output:

11

Benefits of Using Icons

  • Icons are universal symbols that can communicate complex ideas or actions quickly and more effectively.
  • Icons simplify information by reducing text which makes content more approachable and less overwhelming.
  • Icons are language-agnostic, making them perfect for applications and websites targeting a global audience.
  • Enhanced Usability: Icons can improve the usability of interfaces by making navigation and interaction more easier.
  • Icons can help in recognizing brands
  • Icons can enhance accessibility by providing an alternative means of conveying information to those with visual or cognitive impairments.
  • Icons can be used for quick navigation, allowing users to jump directly to specific sections or actions without the need for extensive text-based menus.
  • Icons contribute to consistency within a design system or user interface.
  • Icons are good for small devices with limited screen real estate and they provide a touch-friendly target for interactions, making them suitable for responsive design.
  • Icons make it easier for users to scan content and quickly identify relevant information or actions.
  • Icons can aid in memory retention where users are more likely to remember visual symbols than lengthy text descriptions.

Icons are significant. They should serve a purpose. They should help the user do what they need without requiring additional efforts from them. They take up less space on a site than text. It makes the website interface look cleaner and more convenient for eyes.


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How to Use Images for Efficient Web Design ?

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