Organizing a vector icon library may seem like a minor task, but it’s a crucial step in streamlining your design process and improving efficiency. Whether you’re a solo designer or part of a large team, having a well-organized icon library can save you hours of work and help maintain consistency across your projects.
In this post, we’ll explore best practices for organizing your vector icon library, including categorization, file naming, folder structure, and maintaining consistency. By following these guidelines, you can ensure that your icon collection is easy to navigate, scalable, and ready for any design project.
Before diving into the best practices, let’s first discuss why organizing your vector icon library is essential.
Efficiency: An organized library saves you time because it helps you locate and access the icons you need quickly.
Consistency: Organizing icons ensures that you keep a consistent design language across projects.
Collaboration: For teams, a well-structured icon library encourages smooth collaboration and prevents confusion when multiple designers are working on the same project.
Scalability: As your icon library grows, having a structure in place ensures that new additions are integrated smoothly.
Now that we understand the importance of organization, let’s dive into some of the best practices.
The first step in organizing your vector icon library is categorizing icons based on their function or theme. Categorization helps you quickly find the right icons when you need them, without wasting time sifting through thousands of files.
Key Categories to Consider:
User Interface (UI) Icons: These include icons like search, settings, navigation, buttons, etc. These icons are essential for designing interfaces.
Social Media Icons: Icons representing popular social platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.
E-commerce Icons: Icons related to shopping, payment methods, cart, wishlist, and checkout.
Branding Icons: Icons are used for logo design, brand representation, and unique visual language.
Accessibility Icons: Icons are designed to represent accessibility features like high contrast, screen reader, or magnification.
Icons/
UI/
Social Media/
E-commerce/
Branding/
Accessibility/
Organizing by category allows you to quickly locate the icon you need, no matter the type of project you're working on.
One of the most critical aspects of organizing your vector icon library is naming your files consistently. A good naming convention ensures that your icons are easy to identify and search for.
Tips for Consistent Naming:
Be Descriptive: Name your files based on what they represent (e.g., "shopping-cart.svg", "user-profile.svg").
Avoid Spaces: Use hyphens or underscores to separate words (e.g., "add-to-cart.svg").
Use Lowercase: Stick to lowercase letters to avoid confusion across different operating systems.
Version Control: If you have multiple versions of an icon, add version numbers or descriptive tags (e.g., "shopping-cart-v1.svg", "shopping-cart-outline.svg").
By using descriptive and consistent naming conventions, you'll make it easier for both you and your team to find icons in the future.
Many designers work with icon sets that include multiple styles, such as filled, outlined, or two-tone icons. It’s important to separate these variations to avoid confusion.
Create Separate Folders for Icon Styles:
Icons/
Filled/
Outlined/
Two-Tone/
Flat/
3D/
This structure allows you to keep each style distinct while still maintaining a clear system for access. It also ensures that when you need to use a specific style for consistency, you can find it without hassle.
Subfolders for Icon Variations:
If you have different sizes or formats for your icons (e.g., SVG, PNG, or icon font files), create subfolders within each style folder to store these variations.
Filled/
SVG/
PNG/
Icon Font/
The incorporation of metadata into vector icons will change the face of search functions. Many pieces of software edit vector icons also allow for embedded keywords, descriptions, and metadata within icon files.
Some Ideas for Metadata Include:
Keywords-include any related keywords to what the icon illustrates (cart, add, shopping, e-commerce).
Categories-describe what the icon belongs in (UI, social media, navigation).
Color Information: If the icon has a color scheme, label it (for example, "blue," "green," or "monochrome").
Labeling your icons with metadata ensures that even if you forget the exact name of a file, you can search for keywords and still find what you need.
If you're managing a large icon library, using a vector icon management tool can be incredibly helpful. These tools provide a central place to store, search, and organize your icons.
Popular Icon Management Tools:
Noun Project: A popular resource for vector icons, Noun Project also allows you to organize your personal icon library.
IconJar: IconJar is a macOS application that helps you organize your icon library into collections, making it easy to browse and manage your icons.
IcoMoon: IcoMoon allows you to upload and organize your custom icons, as well as generate icon fonts.
These tools allow you to efficiently manage your icon library and integrate it with your design software, enhancing your workflow.
As your icon library grows and evolves, you may find yourself making updates or creating new versions of existing icons. It’s important to keep track of changes and maintain version control to avoid confusion.
Version Control Best Practices:
Use Semantic Versioning: Keep track of icon changes by using versioning conventions like "v1.0", "v1.1", and so on.
Separate Older Versions: If an icon has been updated, move the older versions to a subfolder like "archive" or "old".
Include a Changelog: Keep a document (or a text file) in your icon library with a changelog that describes what was changed or updated in each version.
As you create more icons, your library will inevitably grow. Regularly cleaning and updating your icon library helps ensure that it stays relevant and efficient.
Tips for Cleaning Your Library:
Remove Redundant Icons: If you have multiple versions of the same icon or redundant icons, delete or archive them.
Update Outdated Icons: If a design trend changes, update older icons to match the current style or consistency.
Backup Your Library: Always maintain a backup of your icon library to prevent losing your files.
A well-organized vector icon library is an invaluable asset for any designer. By categorizing your icons, using consistent naming conventions, managing file versions, and using icon management tools, you’ll be able to work more efficiently and maintain consistency across all your projects. Whether you’re a solo designer or part of a team, following these best practices will ensure that your vector icon library is a valuable, easily accessible resource.