When it comes to web design, there are plenty of important decisions to be made. From the colour scheme, to the images, and the typography, the choices you make won’t just change the way your website looks, but also how it works. And quality web design focuses on the practicality and the usefulness of the website, just as much as the visual appeal. After all, a website that looks good, might not necessarily work well. And this can have a negative impact on your user experience, and the overall quality of your website. One element where these two combine, is in the simple icon. But how important is your icon design? And how can you be sure of success? Well, here at Pumpkin Web Design Manchester, we are Manchester’s leading web design experts. And we work with companies and businesses around the region, including Blackburn and Chorley, to deliver web design solutions that get results. As a result, we have produced this guide to icon design.
What are icons in web design?
So what is an icon? And what does it do? Well, an icon is a small symbol, logo, or illustration, with very basic features. And these provide a visual clue to users of your website. In some cases they can be used to replace text labels completely. But this isn’t always a good idea.
Some of the most famous icons used across websites include the Facebook and the Twitter icons. The Facebook F, and the Twitter bird logo are unmissable, and can be very effective in the contact bar or menu of your website.
In addition, there is the home icon. A universally recognized symbol of a home, which will of course, take you back to the home page. These have been replaced in recent years for a lot of websites, with the company logo now being all that is needed to take the user back to the home page.
So some icons can be effective interactive elements, that help to link your internal pages together, or link through to useful external sites, like Facebook or Twitter. While other icons can be used effectively as a non-interactive element.
How important is your icon design?
The icons you choose, and use throughout your web design will need to be both visually attractive, appealing and recognizable, while also being practical. And icons that do not meet this criteria can actually damage the effectiveness of your website, by causing confusion and reducing clarity. As a result your icon design needs to be well thought out. It can help:
- direct users when purchasing or signing up
- help users find the exact information they need, quickly and easily. This is especially true when the icons are used in the contact section, and as part of the navigation design.
- draw attention to important elements by adding an aspect of visual interest.
- show off your company persona by helping to add visual character. Choose icons that suit your company. Playful or serious, you can show this with icons and other elements of illustration.
For more information or for professional web design support, get in touch with the experts today, here at Pumpkin Web Design Manchester.