Icons in web design make up a small but significant part of your website imagery. These are small images or symbols, that are frequently used instead of text. This is a great way to save space in responsive design, and also to improve the overall appearance of the website. From social media icons, to contact icons, or page navigation icons, there are a number of ways to use icons throughout your website. But you need to pay close attention to the design and style of these, especially if they are going to be used as symbols to replace words. This is because poorly designed symbols can be confusing for users, who may not understand what they represent. So what are the most common design mistakes for website icons? And how can you avoid these? Well, here at Pumpkin Web Design Manchester, we are Manchester’s leading web design experts. From Blackburn to Chorley we work across Manchester and the North West. And we work with clients in all sectors of business and industry to find the perfect web design solutions. As a result, we have produced this guide to everything you should know about icon design mistakes.
What are the most common website icon design mistakes?
Some of the most common mistakes when it comes to icons on websites include:
- poor design choices
- inconsistent design
- inappropriate sizing
Poor design choices for website icons
When it comes to designing and creating website icons, the actual style and design is important. Not only does the icon need to match your company branding and persona, but it also needs to be functional and practical too. This means that the best icon designs are simple, stylish outlines or silhouette designs. Icons that are too complicated can be difficult to understand, especially on a mobile device.
It’s also essential that your website icons are designed to e instantly recognizable so that your audience can infer the correct intended meaning.
Inconsistent icon design
Another of the common icon design mistakes is using an inconsistent style across your website. Every icon you use needs to be treated like every other website element. So you wouldn’t change typography for different pages, or change style half way through. But with icons, this is something that happens frequently. And it shouldn’t. Not only is it obvious and jarring to the user, but it detracts from the style of your website. So once you have an icon style, stick to it consistently throughout the website. Don’t chop ad change from outline icons to full silhouettes, or change from realism to cartoon half way though. This also means sticking to the same colour scheme too.
Inappropriate icon sizing
Finally, you need to make sure that your icons are all the same size. And that this size is not too small, or too big. Icons that are too large will look out of place and distract your website users, while icons that are too small will be difficult to see and may not be noticed properly. This could lead to users missing out on contact options or other important information.
For more information, or for professional web design advice and support, get in touch with the experts today, here at Pumpkin Web Design Manchester.