Icons are an integral part of any user interface; they are also responsible for navigation. They help you deliver a particular message simply and constructively, making them a powerful asset to building your brand reputation online.
Any project of yours (both professional and personal) can attain an entirely new look and send a whole different message with an adequately designed icon set. The new design must be attractive and fresh. However, more important is that the new design reflects your brand’s message in the right way.
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The process of brainstorming a new and unique design for your icon set can be a tiresome task, so why not find inspiration from the compiled list below.
A list of eye-catching icon pack designs you’re going to love
We split the icon packs into several categories with a short description to better understand the style and design.
Outline and filled icon packs
This style design uses effective symbols to let you communicate a whole range of things with just one simple image. These icons can sport a minimalistic outline design or incorporate colors to achieve a playful and friendly look.
These icon sets are suitable for personal and commercial usage since they allow you to create a wide range of options and combinations to voice your brand’s message. Let’s take a quick look at some of the most inspiring designs.
This doodle-inspired outline icon set covers a wide gamut of different food-related subjects. For instance, a simple, practical, and stylish line design will easily fit into restaurant landing pages or web apps for food delivery.
If minimalistic outline icon designs seem too simple for your brand, you can always decide to fill them with your brand’s colors and make them live and vivid. Take a look at the example above; this design is my favorite. It is so clear and straightforward that there is no chance of misleading messages. Also, they used only a three-colored scheme, so the icon set looks more professional.
E-commerce experienced a massive expansion due to the global pandemic in recent years. Naturally, if you own or build an online business app, you will need a set of icons similar to this one.
How many times did you give up on online shopping because you couldn’t understand the basic settings on the website or app? I know that it has happened to me many times. That is why this example is picture-perfect of what you need; make the icon set easy to read, and you will find out how beneficial they can be to the growth of your business.
Brand them with your label’s colors, and you have a win-win combination!
If you are an owner of a travel agency, why not include an icon set similar to this one into your web design and make your app or landing page look cheerful and laid back while at the same time clear and informative. After all, isn’t the point of organizing vacations to make your customers feel unburdened? Why not have them experience that feeling from the minute they decide they need a holiday and hop onto your landing page? Send them a clear message - the vacay vibes start here with us!
Glyph and flat icon packs
We are still exploring the range of simple yet effective icon design styles, so glyph and flat icon packs must be mentioned. Both types feature a simplified interface, including minimal visual effects to achieve the best results.
Glyph icons are always monochromatic, while flat icons include color combinations, textures, shadings, and highlights.
Glyph icon style is something that you can often see on mobile phones. They are perfect for creating icons for social media and messaging apps, as well as a set of basic icons. Look at the message icon on your mobile device; in most cases, you will see the envelope or a talk bubble designed in the most straightforward way ever.
They can be used for various purposes on both web and native applications.
Flat icon design has been trendy from the first moment it was invented, and there is no indication that this will change soon. This design style is flexible, and any idea you can come up with can transfer into the end product. This type is suitable for personal and commercial usage.
When you’re in doubt, choose this style since there is little to no chance to make a mistake with this one.
We all know how working days can become hectic in no time, and lunch breaks in those situations are a luxury. That is why so many people rely on the ability to pre-order their hot beverages and meals so they won’t go hungry or caffeine-deprived. If you are an owner of a business like that, include a sweet and sugar-coated icon design that tantalizes the taste buds.
We all rely on accurate forecasts to plan our daily activities. Most of us overlook these icons in our mobile apps since they usually feature unfaltering designs and look sad and boring. But what about these weather icons? They look elegant, are not flashy, and clearly convey what you can expect in the next hour, day, or week.
Here is one more eye-catching icon set design coming from the same designer so you can see the resemblance in style. At first glance, this basic icon set leaves an impression of being lightweight. But the original presentation of simple symbols like my pc or search icon catches the viewer’s eyes.
It is easy to get lost when searching for particular medical services, but the website does not clearly indicate their services. This icon set provides all the essential information you need when browsing through any medical institution’s web page or application. The symbols are neatly designed, and each icon sends a clear message of what you can expect when you click on it.
This flat type of icon can look very classy and sophisticated. If a graphic designer uses their imagination, flat icons can become tiny pieces of art since this style is flexible and without limitations. Here you can see a set of financially-related icons crafted to resemble colored glass - very stylish and eye-catching.
3D icon packs
Dimensional design constantly evolves, allowing designers to express their knowledge by creating 3D objects as realistic as they desire. With icons, it’s no exception, and the user interface can be significantly enhanced by including 3D icon sets into their design.
Are you planning to create an application where your audience can track their money, invest in stocks, manage their expenses, and get financial advice? If so, you need to include a set of high-resolution 3D vector icons with realistic financial illustrations to make the application more visually appealing.
They can be monochromatic like the ones in the image above, or you can include colors in the design and make them pop. You can see how amazing they can look in the example below.
Your web pages or application design must be fine-tuned in every way; you can’t include superb graphics and landing pages and leave your icons basic and plain. They need to fit in to round up your brand’s story.
Look at this set of icons, for instance. The designer used only one color and a few simple, easy-to-understand symbols to create a striking design.
Hand-drawn icon packs
Hand-drawn icons have been getting more attention in the past few years. Still, this style is not used as much as it should be, considering the process of crafting the set takes a lot of time and effort - and time means money, right?
However, some designers choose this style since it allows them to manifest their creativity. Every hand-drawn icon design project that I’ve encountered has left me impressed.
These icon sets are so realistic and detailed that it is unreal how they fit in such tiny spaces and remain visually accurate.
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Take a quick glimpse at the next example. Even a mere glance will be enough to understand the meaning of each illustration. This wedding fair business website offers a comprehensive list of services, and the designer invested a lot of time and effort to create these little artistic icons.
Not every hand-drawn icon set is detailed. Look at these minimalistic Instagram icons. You can see how a simple image of a lightbulb can portray ideas, or a pomade symbolizes the product list. Use these icons to visually enhance your Instagram Highlights if this platform is your primary business marketing tool.
A simple image is more than enough to portray your offer. There’s no need to make things complicated and overcrowd your icons with large amounts of detail. If you sell shoes and you need an icon that portrays boots, a simple hand-drawing of a pair of legs with the boots on will do the trick.
If you are a fan of doodle art, you will love this cute e-learning icon set. Due to the already mentioned global pandemic, many schools and colleges transitioned to e-classrooms. This is one of the icon solutions that I like the most.
Material design icon packs
Material design icon packs are suitable for websites and applications that require simple and basic-looking icons. Companies like Google, WordPress, and Adobe use a material design style for their icons. These icons usually look very neutral, but their main goal is to illustrate the action in the most simplified way.
That’s it!
Choosing the right icon pack for your brand should not be based only on what is currently trending. Your focus should be on what suits the needs of your project. Also, a significant factor is style, and the icons must match the style of your website or app.
Feel free to check out our free icons library, with thousands of free designs done in different styles! Whether you use it as inspiration or get one of the designs (you can grab them in PNG and SVG format), it’s a perfect address to start building your icon set on a budget!
