Use icon fonts in your next design!

​The benefits are numerous. Time to start a new habit.

[editor’s note, 2018: times change, and SVG graphics are widely considered to be superior to icon fonts now]

Icon fonts are great for social network links and common interface elements like arrows. Here’s why:

• Resolution-independence: icon fonts look crisp on high-resolution screens and scale easily for animation or design-indecision
• Icon fonts can improve site loading speeds as opposed to using images for icons
• Ready-made design: why reinvent the wheel for common icons?
• Expansive (and expanding) libraries. Suddenly need an additional icon? No problem, it’s probably already there for you.

You can simply go with the venerable Font Awesome or mix-n-match different icon font libraries with Fontello (click the little house icon next to each font name to visit the font’s website).

Most, if not all, of the fonts have desktop font counterparts so you can use them in Photoshop or your comping tool of choice.

Embrace the screen medium and save time. Use icon fonts!