Best Icon Designers

What a good icon package includes

Icon gigs are priced per icon or per set. Check that the package states:

• Number of icons and what each represents.
• Style: line, filled, duotone, or illustrated.
• Grid and sizes the icons are designed for.
• Formats: SVG, PNG and source file.
• States: active, inactive or hover, if needed.
• Rights and revisions.

Ask the designer to set the rules first: grid size, line thickness, corner radius and colors. When every icon follows the same rules, the set looks professional, and new icons added later will match without redesigning the old ones.

How to brief an icon designer

1. A list of icons with the action or idea each represents.
2. Where they appear: app navigation, website, product, signage.
3. Sizes they will be shown at.
4. Brand files and existing icons to match.
5. Style references.
6. Developer requirements for formats and naming.

Test icons at their real size in the actual interface. An icon that is clear at a large size can become an unreadable blob at the size of a navigation button.

Ask for icons to be named consistently in the delivered files, for example by action such as search, cart or settings. Developers and designers who use the set later will find icons faster, and it avoids duplicates when new icons are added to the set over time.

What drives the price

• number of icons
• simple line icons versus detailed or illustrated ones
• multiple states and sizes
• app icon design with store variations
• source files and a style guide
• the designer's experience

Consider accessibility. Icons that carry meaning, such as a warning or a delete action, should be paired with text labels or accessible descriptions in the app or website. Color alone should not be the only way to tell icons apart, since some users cannot distinguish certain colors.

Red flags

• Icons in the same set with different line weights or styles.
• Only PNG files at one size.
• Icons that copy well-known brand symbols.
• Stock icons presented as custom work.
• No testing at small sizes.

Keep icon meanings simple and familiar. Users already know a magnifying glass means search and a house means home. Unusual symbols for common actions look original but slow people down and can confuse them. Save creative symbols for your brand's unique features instead.

For app screens, see our app design guide. For your logo, read our logo design guide, and for the overall experience our UX design guide.

Quick pre-order checklist

• I have a list of icons and what each means.
• The style rules are agreed before design.
• I will get SVG, PNG and source files.
• Icons will be tested at real size.
• Custom icons are mine to use commercially.