Material Design Icons: Best Practices and Tips
Material Design Icons: Best Practices and Tips
Blog Article
Material Design, introduced by Google in 2014, has changed the way digital interfaces are designed, especially in terms of iconography. Material Design icons are clean, modern, and functional, providing a consistent and intuitive user experience across platforms. They have become an integral part of modern web and app design.
In this article, we are going to see the best practices for designing and using Material Design icons and provide tips on how to meet their high standards based on this very influential design system. We are also going to give you guidance on how platforms like Iconfair can help provide ready-to-use, customizable Material Design icons to simplify your design work.
1. What Are Material Design Icons?
Material Design icons are part of the design language developed by Google for a uniform look and feel on Android, web, and other platforms. Icons are designed in accordance with the principles of Material Design, emphasizing clean, simple, and user-friendly interfaces that reflect the properties of the physical world, such as light, shadow, and movement
Key characteristics of Material Design icons include:
Flat Design with Subtle Depth: Although Material Design icons are flat, they use subtle shadows and layering to create depth.
Grid-Based: Icons are designed using a grid system to ensure consistency and alignment.
Clear, Simple Shapes: Icons are made from geometric shapes, which are simple and easy to recognize.
Scalable: Icons are designed to work at various sizes, so that they remain clear and usable on different screen resolutions.
In using Material Design icons, the design guidelines should be followed to maintain consistency and ensure the icons enhance the user experience.
2. Best Practices for Designing Material Design Icons
Designing Material Design icons is about following certain guidelines that will guarantee consistency and accessibility. Here are some best practices to follow:
2.1. Use the Grid System for Consistency
One of the defining characteristics of Material Design icons is that they are strictly based on a grid system. The icon's primary or main shape should fit properly within a 24x24 grid. This maximizes the alignment of the icons and results in uniformity across different screen sizes.
Almost all your custom Material Design icons should be centrally aligned within a grid; its size should be consistent with all other icons. This way, no matter whether they are presented at 16px or 128px, your icons will look well-coordinated and in perfect balance.
2.2. Simplify Shapes And Emphasize Legibility
Material Design iconography is built on simple geometric shapes, aiming to communicate meaning quickly and clearly. It should be avoided to put in something that is considered non-essential and overly complex in its shape. The simpler and more intuitive the design, the more effective it will be.
The lines should be clean and drawn in an even weight. In case the icon has more elements, they should be separated equidistantly by distance and proportionally aesthetically balanced.
2.3. Subtle Depth with Shadows
Material Design icons are flat, yet they use subtle shadows and layers to simulate depth and create the impression of reality. These shadows make icons pop against their backgrounds and, therefore, make them more readable and more beautiful. Here is the catch: use shadows very sparingly and with purpose.
According to the guidelines for Material Design, shadows should follow consistent principles:
Elevation: Icons should be placed at different "elevations," which equate to different layers in the design. The greater the elevation, the more prominent the shadow.
Softness: Shadows should be soft and not too harsh. This helps keep your Material Design clean and minimalist.
Using depth makes your icons look tactile and responsive, thus your overall user interaction.
3. Using Material Design Icons:
After creating your Material Design icons, the second stage comes in, and that is using them effectively on your digital products. Here are a few tips for making sure that your icons do not fail anywhere, even as different interfaces are tested across different platforms.
3.1. Maintain Consistency Across Platforms
Material Design is applied to the web, mobile, and tablets. When icons are being used, in order to present a consistent look and feel among the different platforms, it should be ensured that the icon is of similar style and size.
Implement Material Design icons in a variety of settings, adjusting their size according to the platform's specifications. For example, icons may need to be larger in mobile applications so that they are readable on the smaller screen size of the device. On the other hand, icons in desktop websites could be smaller, but their style and alignment should not change.
You can find a wide selection of Material Design icons in various sizes at Iconfair, making it easier to maintain consistency across platforms without compromising on quality.
3.2. Use Icons to Enhance User Understanding
Icons are a visual language that helps users understand functionality quickly and intuitively. To maximize the effectiveness of Material Design icons, use them to represent common actions and concepts, such as "home," "search," "settings," and "notifications."
The icon must be the appropriate representation of its action. A magnifying glass is one of the most known icons for search and a gear for settings. Such familiar, recognized icons increase the usability of a product and decreases the learning curve of its users.
3.3. Accessibility of Icons
Modern UI/UX design calls for icon accessibility. Material Design icons must, therefore, be able to be easily readable and recognized by everyone-including those who have impaired vision. Some of the guidelines on enhancing accessibility include:
Contrast: Make sure your icons contrast enough with their background so everyone, including the color blind and the low sighted, can view them clearly.
Scalable: Material Design icons must be scalable, so they should look sharp and legible at any size. This is particularly important for responsive design.
Text Labels: In some cases, pairing an icon with a text label can help users understand the meaning of the icon, especially if the icon is less common or has multiple interpretations.
By keeping accessibility in mind, you ensure that your icons contribute to an inclusive design.
4. Picking the Appropriate Material Design Icons for Your Project
When choosing the icons of your digital product, consider the context and purpose that the icons will serve. Not every icon performs well in every scenario; picking the right one can make a significant difference between user engagement and usability in a user interface.
4.1. Consider the Context of Use
Icons can depict multiple activities and notions. One must use relevant icons based on the user task for the current work. A cart icon will appropriately suit e-commerce sites, but an app calendar icon would effectively fit applications where appointments need to be created.
When selecting icons, consider the experience you want to create for the user. Do you want to make it easier for them to navigate your app or website? Do you want to reinforce specific actions or goals? Understanding your users' needs and behaviors can help you select the most effective icons for your design.
4.2. Use Customizable Icons
Every brand has its own identity, and the icons you use should reflect that. Customizing Material Design icons to match your brand's color scheme or visual identity can help create a unique experience for your users.
5. Conclusion
Material Design icons are a standard of digital design; they propose a clean, consistent, and user-friendly method of giving users the action and concept visually. In fact, using best practices, you would thus be able to create an icon that reflects the principles of Material Design: use the grid system, simplify shapes, and apply subtle depth.
Furthermore, when using Material Design icons, it’s important to maintain consistency across platforms, ensure accessibility, and select icons that are contextually appropriate for your project. Platforms like Iconfair can help you access high-quality, customizable icons that make it easier to implement these best practices.
For building a mobile application, a website, or any other digital product, Material Design icons can decorate your user interface with utmost visual appeal and intuitiveness. Apply these tips along with other resources, such as Iconfair, and ensure that your icons are not only design standard but also enhance the user experience.
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