App Icon Generator

All About Favicons: The Small Icon with Big Impact

A Favicon (short for “favorites icon”) is a small icon that visually represents your digital project in various places online. Despite its compact size, typically 16x16 or 32x32 pixels, a favicon plays a significant role in brand recognition, user experience (UX), and can indirectly contribute to better perception.

What is a favicon and where is it used?

Initially, these icons were displayed in “Favorites” lists (bookmarks) and next to the address in the browser’s address bar. Today, favicons can be seen in the following places:

  • Browser Tabs: Help users quickly identify your resource among many open tabs.
  • Bookmarks (Favorites): Facilitate visual searching for saved pages.
  • Browser History: Speed up navigation to previously visited resources.
  • Search Results: Some search engines may display favicons next to links, which can potentially increase click-through rates.
  • Desktop or Mobile Home Screen Shortcuts: When a user saves a link.

Why is a favicon needed?

Although a favicon is not a direct ranking factor, its presence and proper setup offer several important benefits:

  • Increased Brand Recognition: A favicon serves as a visual anchor for your brand, helping users remember your resource. Often, a logo or a recognizable part of it is used.
  • Improved User Experience (UX): Makes it easier to navigate and identify your resource in tabs and bookmarks.
  • Attracting Attention in Search Results: A noticeable favicon can make your resource stand out.
  • Building Trust: A professionally presented resource, including details like a favicon, inspires more confidence in users.
  • Preventing Errors: Browsers automatically request the favicon file, and its absence can lead to errors in system logs.

Formats and sizes of favicons

Historically, the primary format for favicons was .ico. This format is a container that can hold multiple images of different sizes. Standard sizes are considered 16x16 and 32x32 pixels.

Modern browsers also support other image formats as favicons:

  • PNG: A popular format due to its support for transparency and good image quality.
  • JPG (JPEG): Also supported, but used less frequently due to its lack of transparency support.
  • GIF and APNG: Allow for animated favicons, but their support may be limited.
  • SVG: A vector format that provides perfect scalability without loss of quality.

It’s recommended to create favicons that are multiples of 48 pixels. Specific sizes might be needed for different platforms and devices.

How to create and install a favicon?

The process of creating and installing a favicon involves the following steps:

  1. Creating the Image:
    • Use graphic design software.
    • There are many specialized online tools that allow you to create an icon from an existing image, text, emoji, or draw it. Many of them also offer conversion to the necessary formats and creation of icon sets.
  2. Design Requirements:
    • The favicon should be simple, clear, and easily recognizable even at a very small size.
    • Use your brand colors and, if possible, a simplified version of your logo or its key element.
    • Consider that the favicon will be displayed on various backgrounds.
  3. Installation:
    • The common method is to place a file named favicon.ico in the root directory.
    • For greater flexibility, it is recommended to declare links to your favicons in the HTML code of your page, within the <head> tag. For example:
      • For ICO: <link rel="icon" href="/path/to/favicon.ico" type="image/x-icon">
      • For PNG: <link rel="icon" href="/path/to/favicon.png" type="image/png">
      • For SVG: <link rel="icon" href="/path/to/icon.svg" type="image/svg+xml">
    • You can specify multiple links with the sizes attribute for different sizes and formats.

What to do if the favicon is not displayed?

If your favicon is not visible, try the following steps:

  • Check the file path and name.
  • Ensure the file format is supported by the browser.
  • Clear your browser cache.
  • Wait some time: Some systems might take time to index a new favicon.
  • Check configuration files: Ensure that access to the favicon file is not restricted.
  • Use favicon checker tools that can help identify the problem.

Conclusion

A favicon is a small but crucial element. It contributes to an improved user experience, enhances brand recognition, and can positively influence perception. Invest a little time in creating a high-quality and memorable favicon—it will pay off in how users perceive your project.