When designing a product or platform, every element, from color and typography to spacing, plays a key role in shaping the user experience. Icons, though small, are no exception and contribute significantly to the overall look and feel.
The design process begins with thorough research to understand the target audience, including factors like age and preferences, to define the brand voice. This foundational understanding allows designers to choose the right elements, including icon libraries, that align with the product’s goals. By selecting the appropriate icon sets, designers can enhance both functionality and aesthetics, creating an intuitive and cohesive design.
Before exploring the best icon libraries, have a look at our blog How to pick a good icon library for your project, to learn more about selecting the right one for your project.
The Material icons offers over 2,100 icons, used by millions across various platforms. It covers a broad spectrum of icons, from common user interface elements to more specialized symbols, making it one of the most inclusive and comprehensive icon libraries available. Additionally, they offer a Figma plugin that can help designers to directly use the icons on Figma while designing.
Here are a few benefits of using the material icons library:
Hero icons is an open-source collection of interface icons licensed under MIT, designed for web and app development. The library features over 300 icons across various categories and includes both outlined and filled icon styles.
Here are a few benefits of using the Hero icons library:
Feather Icons is a sleek library featuring over 250 minimalist, modern icons. Designed for simplicity and elegance, it offers developers a seamless way to enhance their React applications through the React-Feather package. Similar to material icons, Feather icons too have a Figma plugin for convenience.
Here are a few benefits of using the Feather icons library:
Among the many icon libraries available, these three stand out as top choices for designers. Their open-source nature provides great flexibility, while their modern and minimalist design makes them ideal for a wide range of projects.
For insights on selecting a library for your project, don’t miss our blog, How to pick a good icon library for your project.
Written by – Shashwathi Rajapur