What Is an Icon Font?<\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n Icon fonts are typefaces that use tiny images rather than letterforms. Like type, each character is scalable and can be modified using CSS.<\/p>\n The main reasons for using an icon font are that you can change the size, color, shape, with ease. Icon fonts are transparent by nature so you can put them on any color or type of background and you can add strokes or change the opacity of icons. <\/p>\n It\u2019s all done with CSS so you don\u2019t have to create unique images for each new instance of an icon in the design. (This is great for keeping your website and code lightweight.)<\/p>\n Icon fonts are vector images, meaning they are scalable. As with any other font, you can make them as large or small as you like. Use icon fonts alone as art elements or even scattered throughout other text fields.<\/p>\n The most popular and well known library of icon fonts is Font Awesome<\/a>. It\u2019s used for more than 100 million websites and includes a robust collection of icon options. It works with all the popular tools, including Web Fonts + CSS, SVG + JS, Sketch, Adobe Apps, Vue.js, Angular, React, and Ember. <\/p>\n There are a few other fairly well-known font icons sets as well.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n So why would you use \u2013 or avoid \u2013 an icon font? Here are some of the pros and cons of working with this style of art element. <\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n While instructions for using icon fonts can vary slightly depending on which provider you choose, the basic idea is the same.<\/p>\n Generally, you have three options (unless you plan to do a little more hard-coding yourself):<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n The bigger debate is shifting to whether you should (or would want to) use an icon font versus SVG images for the purpose of inserting small images on your website. Both options are equally viable and have a lot to do with personal preference.<\/p>\n An SVG (scalable vector format) file can give you a little more flexibility in design. (You aren\u2019t limited to one color). The small, scalable files can be uploaded right into your media directory and are easy to work with. This is a good option if you only need a handful of icons and don\u2019t want to deal with a library.<\/p>\n SVGs are more flexible with the ability to add more colors and animation. <\/p>\n Icon fonts might be faster loading in the long run because they are cached. But the difference can be quite minimal. <\/p>\n Positioning icons fonts can get a little tricky since they are subject to typical font rules such as size, line spacing, and vertical alignments. This alone is why most people using an icon font, opt for an established provider rather than trying to make their own. <\/p>\n SVGs can include alt elements that make them more accessible than icon fonts, which can come across as letter characters to screen readers. <\/p>\n Icon fonts are generally easier for most people to find and use. Libraries are generally available and aren\u2019t difficult to understand. SVG icons are preferred by users that want more design control and customization options. <\/p>\n Both options are commonly used and work well in most cases. Picking one has a lot to do with what you are most comfortable with and what matches your design aesthetic and user interface. <\/p>\n One reason icon fonts are so popular is that they are versatile and easy to use. Thanks to a scalable format that can be installed with a couple click to most content management systems, almost anyone can start using icons fonts quickly. <\/p>\n The real benefit to an icon font is that the element uses CSS, and is not an independent image file. This is good for creating a lean website with elements that load quickly and in a vector format (great if you need to change the size later). <\/p>\n Powered by WPeMatico<\/a><\/small><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Icon fonts are a popular solution to a common CSS problem; how to incorporate web icons into your website design in an efficient, fast-loading way. With plenty of services available to make choosing and using an icon font easy, you don\u2019t have to create your own from scratch. Icon fonts are all over the internet…. Read the full article…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":72937,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[371],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-72936","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-user-experience"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t![\"icon](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.taterboy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/font-awesome-1.jpg?w=900&ssl=1\")
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Pros and Cons of Using Icon Fonts<\/h2>\n
![\"icon](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.taterboy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/flaticon-2.jpg?w=900&ssl=1\")
<\/div>\n<\/p>\nPros of Using Icon Fonts<\/h3>\n
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Cons of Using Icon Fonts<\/h3>\n
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How to Use Icon Fonts<\/h2>\n
![\"icon](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.taterboy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/fontello-1.jpg?w=900&ssl=1\")
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Icon Fonts vs. SVGs<\/h2>\n
![\"icon](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.taterboy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/icofont.jpg?w=900&ssl=1\")
<\/div>\n<\/p>\nConclusion<\/h2>\n