Icon fonts offer a versatile and scalable alternative to standard imagery, allowing for dynamic styling and easier integration with web projects.
Thanks to their font-like deployment, these crisp and resizable icons can switch colors or be enhanced with CSS effects like shadowing or gradients without image editing. They add a level of versatility to web design that traditional images can’t match.
In this article, we’ll explore some prime examples of icon fonts available for your website needs.
Elegant Fico
At Fico, each icon corresponds to an alphabetical character or glyph, displayed on their user-friendly site—this saves time otherwise spent on key-hunting. Harmonized with Helvetica, Fico’s icons mirror its clean aesthetic, previewed beautifully on their platform.
Retro Charm with Pixelated
With its playful allure, Pixelated font merges style and practicality. Astonishingly lightweight—mere bytes in size—and downloadable as GIFs, these icons are exceptionally versatile. It’s a free resource that doesn’t skimp on variety and practicality.
Generous Entypo
Boasting over 100 icons, Entypo offers its collection without cost, including commercially. Its resemblance to Apple’s iOS and OSX icons adds familiarity, and half of any donations to the creator go towards supporting Wikipedia.
Comprehensive Uicons
Uicons steps up with a robust selection of 391 icons, ensuring coverage even for less common social networks. Although this set isn’t free—priced at $20 for the full collection—it packs value with inclusivity and design flexibility.
Innovative Iconic
Iconic merges design innovation with its open-source framework, presenting 171 icons that cater to a variety of creative needs. The assortment reflects spontaneous development, producing a unique and eclectic mix of imagery.
The Transformative Sanscons
Sanscons builds on Bitcons by providing CSS-friendly icons, adopting transparency and a palette of 13 colors. Offered at various scales, these icons display versatility without sacrificing their distinctive pixelated charm.
Thoughtful Heydings
Addressing a gap in quality iconography, Heydings presents 60 Glyphs and assists developers with ready-to-use CSS. The creator’s strategic mapping enhances usability, focusing on a variety of core interface elements for diverse web interfaces.
Just Vector’s Versatility
Just Vector accompanies its icons with an in-depth guide, including @fontface ease-of-use tips and a troubleshooting manual for diverse browser experiences. The icons’ scalability is showcased across a range of potential display sizes.
Multifaceted Flexi Social Icons
Available at Flexi, this font is not just about aesthetics—its 68 glyphs come in multiple formats for different browsers, ensuring functional elegance. Though not free, it stands as a worthwhile investment.
Charitable Writesocial
Available at Writesocial, this font’s limited range of 18 icons is surpassed by the customization options it offers. Purchases support a transparent charitable model, contributing to the global initiative of providing clean water.
Navigational ikoo
Designed for direct HTML integration, ikoo focuses on clean and straightforward navigational icons. Comprising both black and white styles, its 65-icon collection is a free resource for polished site design.
InfoBits’s Dual Delight
A single purchase of InfoBits bags two unique fonts at $29, offering a combined 190 character count. Designed with a playful edge, they serve a wide range of imaginative uses and can be acquired individually as well.
Prolific Pictos
With a staggering 650 icons, Pictos supports extensive customizations via an on-site keybinder. Used by esteemed companies, it requires a subscription following a trial period, but shines with its aesthetics and utility.
Comprehensive Font Awesome
Designed to complement Twitter’s Bootstrap, Font Awesome provides over 220 icons, integrates smoothly with the framework, and includes versatility in editing thanks to its vector format.
Is there an icon that you find indispensable, such as a shopping cart or a social media emblem? Have we overlooked any of your beloved icon collections? Share your thoughts and preferences with us in the comments below.
