Icon Sizes

Mar 28, 2023

Icon sizes vary depending on where organizations plan to use an icon, either for desktop, mobile, or the web. Designing the appropriate icon size becomes advantageous for companies and organizations who want to catch their target audience’s attention.

Icon Sizes Standard

Small icons

Small icons are what audiences see on websites, laptops, and desktops, with measurements of 16 by 16 pixels, also representing one of the standard sizes. These small icons represent various files, actions, or ideas, making them interactive or non-interactive elements by clicking or selecting the graphic. Many operating systems and websites have a setup of small icons that determine whether the file is a data file, folder, or program file that users can execute.

Medium icons

Medium icons have measurements of 48 by 48 pixels, which users see as the standard icon size for many desktop computers. The medium display size of the icons on the screen is more prevalent in the taskbar and desktop icons. For people using the Windows operating system for their computers, it is easier to balance the icon weight and scale up or down using Windows properties by right-clicking the desktop background.

Large icons

To adjust the setup to large icons for a Windows computer, individuals right-click on the desktop, hover over the View button, and select Large icons. Large icons have a length and width of 96×96 pixels and use large icons for desktop, toolbar, and other user UI improvements for an all-out positive user experience. Large icons make it easier for users to identify files, applications, and other actions by having a clearer and larger icon size.

Extra large icons

Some individuals want to get a good grasp of desktop icons without text titles or descriptions, and they can have a scalable setup of extra-large icons as their default settings. Extra large icons have a dimension of 256×256 pixels, covering a larger surface area of the screen, with an icon or logo representing a file, program, or software application. Many people use extra large icons for their setup, especially if they have a difficult time looking at smaller-scale icons.

Icon Sizes for Digital

Icon Size for Smartphone

Many people use smartphones to communicate and perform tasks and activities. Individuals can download the necessary mobile apps to them fulfill their tasks or acquire resources for leisure or fun through the Google play store or Apple app store. These icons have dimensions of 250×250 pixels for both Android and Apple phones and tablets with a value attribute, a PNG format, with a flat and non-transparent style.

Icon Size for Windows

Windows is an operating system that many users are familiar with since it has been released many years ago. Windows has been one of the most utilized and versatile operating systems available on the market, with different businesses and individuals using the system to maximize productivity and profitability through different software applications, including Microsoft Excel, to build charts and graphs. The icon size for applications for Windows is 48×48 pixels or 48px.

Icon Size for MacOS

The macOS or Mac operating system is exclusively for people with Mac or Apple Devices like the Macbook Air or Macbook Pro since Apple has compounded their operating system to only service Apple users. Design-wise, the macOS supports 64×64 pixel icon sizes for their desktop with a 54×54 pixel grid spacing for optimal viewing for their users, with text label sizes of 12px. The file format for macOS icons is ICNS format.

Icon Size for Website

Website icons are graphics or symbols that individuals or organizations can incorporate into websites or web pages. A website icon functions as a button or link that users click on or is simply for aesthetic purposes. Website icons or favicons are 16×16 pixels or 16px in size and are in the SVG, PNG, or JPEG file types.

Icon Sizes for Print

There are instances wherein organizations and individuals utilize icons to describe processes or to inform customers about new products or services. As such, companies can design a guide using icons they can print and reproduce in flyers, brochures, infographics, and other print marketing and advertising materials. When printing icons, individuals have choices to print the icons using 16px, 32px, or 96px.

Icon Sizes for Business

Businesses wanting to build icons for their business materials, like brochures, can create illustrations or graphics using photo editing software like Adobe Photoshop. Aside from photo editing software, organizations can download icon templates from different sources and edit them using editing programs such as Adobe Illustrator. For website icons or favicons, businesses can design their icons with dimensions of 16px.

Icon Sizes for Adobe Photoshop

Adobe Photoshop helps individuals to create vector graphics like icons for mobile apps, websites, and other forms of media. Using Photoshop enables users to reduce or increase icon sizes, variate line thickness, and use a ruler to measure uniform height and width. Through the software, individuals can create varying icon sizes, including a 250px icon for mobile apps.

Icon Sizes for Adobe Illustrator

Aside from Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator is another program that individuals can use to develop icon vectors. The application enables users to manipulate shapes, like circles, squares, and rectangles to create a clipart or symbol for an icon. Adobe Illustrator can prepare 16×16 pixel icons or favicons for websites.

Icon Sizes FAQs