Icon Horse blogFavicon Basics

Favicons are those tiny little icons that appear in browser tabs, bookmarks, and various other places around the web. While they might seem insignificant, they play a crucial role in branding and user experience.

What is a favicon?

A favicon (short for "favorite icon") is a small, iconic image associated with a particular website. Originally introduced by Internet Explorer 5 in 1999, favicons have become a standard part of web development.

The evolution of favicons

The early days (.ico format)

Initially, favicons were simple 16x16 pixel ICO files placed in the root directory of a website. This format was limited but served its purpose for the basic web of the late 90s and early 2000s.

Modern favicons

Today's favicons come in various formats and sizes:

• PNG/SVG formats: Better compression and quality
• Multiple sizes: From 16x16 to 512x512 pixels
• Apple touch icons: Specialized icons for iOS devices
• Android chrome icons: Optimized for Android browsers

Best practices for favicons

1. Use multiple sizes: Provide various sizes to ensure your favicon looks good everywhere
2. Keep it simple: Favicons are small, so simple designs work best
3. Use your brand colors: Maintain consistency with your overall brand
4. Test across devices: Make sure your favicon works on desktop, mobile, and tablets

How Icon Horse helps

Icon Horse simplifies the entire favicon process by automatically fetching and serving the best available favicon for any website. Instead of manually implementing complex favicon detection logic, you can simply use our API to get consistent, high-quality favicons every time.

Favicons might be small, but they're an important part of your website's identity. Whether you're building them from scratch or using a service like Icon Horse, make sure you're giving them the attention they deserve.