Do you know what a Favicon is? If you Google this search phrase Google will say "an icon associated with a URL that is variously displayed, as in a browser's address bar or next to the site name in a bookmark list." That sounds confusing but it's really simple. Depending on the browser you're using look up at the current tab and you'll see my Favicon, which is a green globe. Every website I make for my clients has a custom Favicon. It really annoys me when a company doesn't have a Favicon, or their web designer uses a default Favicon.
Why does this matter you might ask? If your website doesn't have a Favicon it shows a lack of creative talent, or worse basic knowledge by the developer. Creating a favicon isn't the most difficult thing in the world but I have some tips that help make it much easier.
The Noun Project
One of my favorite websites for icons of any type is the
Noun Project. The Noun Project has thousands of basic icons in black and white. Their goal is to simplify communication, across borders and around the world using visual communications. You can visit their site and type in literally anything to find numerous icons for your search term. I HAPPILY pay $9.99/mo to use their icons ROYALTY FREE. This means I can use them in logos, Favicons, print design projects, website design or anything else my heart desires!
Favic-O-Matic Favicon Generator
Once I find an icon that I like, a tool that does a great job of creating Favicons of numerous sizes is
Favic-O-Matic, The Ultimate Favicon Generator. Back when Favicon's started there was one size. Tiny. Used in the browser bar and that was all. Now Favicons are shown as bookmark icons for various devices in various sizes. Apple devices use 10 different sizes depending on the device. The beauty of
Favic-O-Matic is you can upload one Favicon image (they recommend at least 32 x 32 px - I usually create mine 400 x 400 px) and it will return every darn size you'll ever need. You don't have to use every single one but I love the option.
Company Logo Favicon
Sometimes I'll use a company logo as a Favicon, but I have to warn you if there's a lot going on in the logo it will just look like a blob on the page tab. I like to either use one part of the logo, or use a simple icon from
The Noun Project and change the color to match the company's logo colors.
If you need a custom icon for your company or simply found this article interesting please share it. Thanks and have a great one!
