Icons are everywhere; some are so powerful and universal that we immediately identify them as representing a company, product, or message without the need for words. In the world of technology, icons play a big role in how people use mobile apps, software, or websites; we’ve all seen the famous “print” icon in Microsoft Word or the “reply” icon in any email app. According to research, icons, when used correctly, can improve usability, be readily understood, and improve the appearance of the web pages or apps being used.
On the other side, when utilized incorrectly, icons can confuse and entirely disturb the user’s navigation. If an icon’s purpose is unclear, the user will not comprehend what will happen when they click it! It’s undeniable that icon design trends are quite important, yet they’re also very easy to go wrong. So, how can we effectively use icon design trends to improve the user experience of websites and apps while having a high level of understanding? We will describe in this article some highly interactive icon design trends for your better understanding.
Definition and role of icons in design
Icons are tiny graphics that have a big functional impact. In design, this means that you may reduce a great amount of information into its simplest form of expression. They are also used as a function for an application or software. In general, icons are utilized to convey information without the usage of words. They are symbols with a high degree of significance that are simple to decode, although they occasionally require an anchor for better understanding. Icons are distinguished by their appropriate aesthetic approach, graphic independence, and color palette.
Icons need to maintain a balance between their functionality, creativity, and aesthetics so that they can be easily understandable for everyone without any discrimination of gender, age, or race. The idea is to pack a lot of information into something small enough to communicate the message quickly.
Icons are quite popular these days, so you’ll find them everywhere! As a result, understanding the functions of icons in your work as a graphic designer is important.
Because icons are a powerful tool for visual communication, they can be utilized in a variety of platforms and media such as in building signage, museums, airports, and many other corporate applications. They are also used in media and infographics, UI design, mobile devices, and internet usage.
The primary use of icon design trends happens in the digital world and multimedia design.
05 icon design trends in 2023
1. Line icons
Line icon design trends are defined as outlined symbolic glyphs. Generally, line icons in this icon design trends are simple, use one color, and are not filled in. They are considered to have a clean and simple design. Users can quickly identify line icon design trends since they are outlines of common items and functions. It is quite simple to make them – think of it as drawing shapes. You may take it a step further by experimenting with dimensional line icons for a more fascinating or less formal design. Line icons are frequently used on websites, particularly e-commerce stores.
These are the most popular way to show navigation buttons on web pages. A magnifying glass can represent a search bar, a speech bubble can represent a call to action, and an envelope can represent a mailing list. However, because of its one-color, flat appearance, it can appear overly basic and uninteresting on more dynamic websites or creative resources. To prevent looking dull, we recommend experimenting with two colors: one for the main outline and a second for the minor details. You can also use gradients instead of a solid color for the outline to add interest.
Creating line icons for smaller sizes may be difficult, so you can go for glyphs because they’re easier to work with and hold up better. However, as smartphone screens improve, we now have the luxury of employing line icons. For a better result, try to create them a bit more detailed than glyphs and ensure that they are pixel-perfect. Line icons are known for their simpler look so the simpler the better. You can add a few details but again, do not do anything extra.
When creating line icons at lower sizes, you must sacrifice detail in favor of highlighting simple outlines. It is possible to add some color, however, it does not appear well in one shade.
Consider the following things while designing two-color line icons:
- Use two complementary colors
- Consider using one color for the main shape and another for the details
- These icons, despite being technically small, cannot be too small. If you want to go incredibly small (22px and below), use a regular small line icon.
- Use bolder lines
- Less is more
2. 3D icons
3D icons are the polar opposite of flat icon styles. They are three-dimensional and tend to stand out. Instead of sitting flat on the page, it looks to pop out from the design. These 3D icon design trends look amazing on banners, posters, social media design, and pretty much any other advertising material. They would also work well on website landing pages because the use of 3D icons can be eye-catching at first glance if done correctly. They grab people’s interest and offer your design a more charming and welcoming appearance, especially when used correctly with color.
However, if it is too constructed, it can be rather distracting. The purpose of employing icons is to ensure that the end user can recognize them. As a result, if the 3D icon is highly abstract and has many elements, it may be difficult to distinguish at first glance. Our advice is to utilize these 3D icon design trends is keep it as simple as possible, and the fewer details it should have, the better.
3. Isometric icons
Isometric icons are two-dimensional designs that have the appearance of being three-dimensional. Isometric icons can be thought of as an improvement above traditional two-dimensional designs. In general, the isometric icon design trends provide more appeal and personality while also being used to better demonstrate an action. Playing with isometric design is, of course, all about angles. To generate a realistic view from the user’s perspective, it should be viewed from a bird’s eye angle and a corner. The majority of isometric symbols are made up of equal horizontal lines at a 30-degree angle.
Isometric designs might be time-consuming to create because you must return to the old illustrator or other non-UI tool and build up an isometric grid. Regardless of all these efforts, a nice isometric icon is quite attractive. We would recommend using these types of icons if you are making icons for businesses that deal with large physical things such as automobiles, houses, furniture, yachts, and so on.
Things to remember before creating isometric icon design trends:
- An isometric icon grid cannot be used with a standard icon grid. You must use an isometric grid.
- Use the same isometric grid for all of the icons.
- Use this icon style to represent physical items like furniture, cars, buildings, crates, and so on.
- Because isometric symbols are so detailed, they lose their appeal when reduced in size.
- If possible, align all of your icons in the same direction.
- These icon sets look more powerful if the shapes are similar.
4. Animated icons
Icons and animations have been used by designers and developers since the beginning of the World Wide Web. In the 1980s, animation and design merged to create the GIF. The first GIF was a looping animated icon of a flying airplane. The clouds in the background were animated to simulate movement. Micro animations provide just the appropriate amount of visual movement to contribute to the delight factor in your UI and digital designs without drawing attention away from the overall experience.
Animated icon design trends are ideal for any type of digital design that is intended for a wide range of devices. Animated icons can be used on websites, desktop and mobile apps, watch apps, and interactive designs such as museum exhibitions or restaurant menus. Even while dynamic symbols increase the delight factor of your projects, you must be careful not to misuse or overuse them. Nothing is worse than a design element that distracts or stimulates negative emotional reactions.
Use animated icon design trends instead of traditional icons for their primary purpose: to help the user in understanding what they are seeing. They improve a site’s immobility and general flow. An animated icon improves the experience just enough to make a difference. The trick is to determine whether something is too much or too little. The easiest way to find out is to conduct some user testing. Request feedback from team colleagues, friends, or real people on how the dynamic icons affect their usability and emotional reaction to the entire design.
You can use animated icon design trends in the listed types of digital products:
- Desktop, mobile, and watch apps
- Websites and landing pages
- Interactive and animated infographics
- Interactive and animated presentations
- Short social media videos
- Video ads
5. Duo-Tone Icons
Duo-tone icons incorporate two colors throughout the design, one primary and one secondary. Typically, the secondary color is a lighter shade in these icon design trends. This design is simple and clean. Duo-tone icons are usually immediately recognizable, making them ideal for things like website navigation. For example, for a document upload icon, a duotone can be used, with the upload arrow as a secondary color. When compared to keeping to a single color, this gives the end user higher identifiability at first sight.
A lot of the magic of these duo-tone icon design trends is based on the color and not necessarily the line. However, if the line work is good, it will enhance the icon’s appeal. The trick to getting these icons right is to choose two colors that:
- must not appear fine, or ok — but spectacular together.
- make sure that the colors have the same contrast ratio so that people with poor vision can see them too.
Things to remember before working on duo-tone icon design trends:
- It may seem apparent, but make sure you use two colors that complement each other.
- Though two colors can appear excellent together, make sure they have the same contrast levels; otherwise, the one color may not be visible to some viewers, preventing them from seeing the entire icon. For example, the light color in the bottom left corner would be difficult to notice for somebody with bad vision.
Conclusion
Icons are an essential part of web design in today’s world. Icons, despite their simplicity, deliver a lot of information in a few seconds. Icon design trends are used by designers to improve the scanning and readability of web pages or designs. As a result, it is vital to select the appropriate icons that will mix seamlessly with the overall style. If you want to effectively keep up with icon trends, avoid using icons from various sets.
Use specialized icon libraries with all icons of the same style, parameters, and line thickness. This will give your design a more uniform appearance. Using icons from different sites and sets can disrupt the pattern of the overall design. So, where can these icon libraries be found? You will have access to thousands of icons with illustAC, which will leave the designer in you speechless. Still not convinced? Test it out for yourself.