Have you ever thought, dear readers, that icons are also subject to trends and fashion? People often talk about design in general, about logos, graphics, and typography, but only briefly mention icons. Yet icons play, if not the most important, then a very significant role on a website. And throughout the year, icon trends can also change. In many ways, it’s similar to logos: there are time-tested standards and styles that designers and illustrators build upon.
In any case, the goal of icons is to make any design unique , to give it sophistication and character, and to distinguish it from similar ones. From *similar* ones — competitors — not everything on the internet. Because the look of icons depends heavily on the overall design and color palette, as well as the theme and style.
But what kinds of these little visual helpers exist? How have they changed over the current year, and what will they be like in the year to come? And is it really possible to create a unique icon yourself? That’s what we’ll explore in this article.
Line Icons
The nearly timeless and ageless trend of line icons will continue to thrive, pleasing users’ eyes and inspiring designers. There are many reasons for this, but one of the key ones is versatility. Regardless of the overall design style of a website or app, line icons fit in perfectly — even ideally. Any background, any color, with or without animation. If you look closely at many icon packs, they usually include a line style version. That’s because of their universality and eternal popularity.
We covered line icons in detail in a dedicated article here , but you can see their practical use on: agostinetto-win , northwest , expressbank , creative_agency , appinstitute . As you can clearly see — different design styles, themes, even placement on the page. But the icons are easy to understand, don’t feel out of place, and actually reinforce what users expect the links or content to be. Also note that line icons aren’t necessarily just outlines — they can have minimal fill. *Minimal* being key. Otherwise, they become “simplified” rather than truly linear.
Sketches and Simplicity
Simplicity has dominated web design for the past year and a half — and it will likely continue into the next. Icons follow this trend too. But unlike their linear counterparts, these are more like sketches — simple graphic compositions. They are based on basic shapes and geometric forms that combine into a new object. To avoid extra lines in the drawing, the entire icon is filled with a single solid color.
You won’t find multiple colors, gradients, or artistic effects here. Everything is simple and somewhat schematic. But the main feature of this style is that within one sketch icon set, there’s always a shared element that unites them — not the theme, but a visual element like a circle, square, arrow, or stripe. This element might appear in the overall shape of several icons, or as a component of one.
To make this clearer, take a look at coldservice . There are many icons, each representing a section of the site. But they are all designed in a cube-like style — the main elements are small squares and rectangles, and animation brings them to life, making the site feel dynamic and alive.
Similarly, a triangle was used as the core shape for icons on manhattanmiami . Scroll down their homepage to see some creative variations.
A circle was the basis for the icons on modeltheme . If you think the "A" icon breaks the pattern, look at the curved serifs at the bottom — they reflect a part of a circle. Similar icons can be found on cadovani .
Graphic Coloring – “Comic Style”
Many icons use more than one color — sometimes quite a few — but are still mostly linear in nature. Coloring adds meaning to the icon by highlighting internal shapes and giving them a visual focus.
These icons use primary palette colors — simple and clear. That’s intentional, because web design is already filled with color and visual effects. Introducing overly complex colors into icons can overload the design, diminish clarity, and just look unpleasant.
Also remember: the fewer details in an icon, the easier it is to color and understand, especially at small sizes. These icons work best when they match the site’s style. They are rarely used in artistic designs but are common in graphic-focused interfaces.
For example, on appinstitute , we see a colored line icon. It uses three main colors — two shades of green and gray (we’ll ignore the red and orange blocks). Since the whole site is designed in green, the color use is justified. The shading gives it some dimension and a touch of artistry.
Icons by Alexey Gushin also look great — they could be used on websites or as stickers.
More examples of colored icons can be found on peoplegrove , eatlambs , reneza , make-my-persona , checkout .
Flat and Bold Icons
We’ve grouped these two types together because they share many traits. Unlike standard line icons, bold icons are drawn with thicker lines and simpler shapes. As a result, they appear larger and sometimes a bit rougher. Still, they’re used similarly to line icons — across all types of designs. They usually aren't included in icon packs — they’re made specifically for a project (e.g. just a cart or phone icon).
Flat icons, on the other hand, are more artistic versions of colored graphic icons. While overall website design is moving away from 100% flatness toward more depth, flat icons are still widely used because of their versatility.
Examples of both types can be seen on: kinfo , hflu , fitnessamp , juicymo , hashworks , mentelocalebrescia , maydayhealthcareplc .
Tips for Creating Icons
Designers almost always want to include icons in web design. But it’s not always easy to just pick one style — it may not fit the design or theme. Another issue is that clients may criticize an icon if they’ve seen something similar elsewhere. It’s hard to explain that similarities are inevitable and that the overall style is different. That’s why designers often have to quickly sketch out and create custom icons — assuming they have the drawing skills.
So what should you consider if you decide to create a couple of icons yourself?
You can also check out our article about logo grids and how to use them . The same principles apply to icons, so this material could be useful.
It’s also important to monitor official design guidelines. With frequent updates in web design, both Apple and Google publish useful resources on colors, depth, and more — including iconography. Their icon styles have changed a lot over time (shadows, outlines, flat design, etc.). Check out icons from Apple , and from Google 1 and Google 2 — which even include grid-based drawing tutorials and other helpful tips.
Conclusion
Icons are an incredibly useful tool in web design — even if they’re not found on every website. Whether it’s a social media button, logo element, service illustration, or menu link — it’s still an icon (static or animated). It serves the same purpose — visually representing what’s written next to it . Some users only need to scan a site diagonally to know what’s important — thanks to clear icons, no matter the size, style, or color.
The core icon trends are always in fashion and always relevant: simplicity, flatness, minimal color, and geometric consistency across the site. Icons can be dimensional, with shadows or without — that’s trend-based. But simplicity, clarity, and flat form — those are timeless, especially for small icons.
And small icons influence design a lot — they enhance, enrich, and add character. When matched well in style and color, they become part of the design itself, and without them, it can feel like the whole meaning is lost.