Readers Respond: What Makes a Great Favicon Great?

A favicon or favorites icon is an icon that tells people immediately what page they've bookmarked or what page is in their browser tabs. But some favicons are better than others.

What sites have great favicons? And what makes them great? What do you look for in a good favicon? Is it easy to read or instantly recognizable? What features make a good favicon? Find out what other About.com readers think and share your own opinions.

My First Favicon

I really had a lot of fun making this favicon. I have put my heart and soul into this website. I consider it the best one I've done so far, better than my own. Check it out @ http://www.riderzinc.net and thanks for looking!

—Guest Katie G

Monkey Fav Icon

Not so keen on http://www.monkeyontherun.com/store/ but at least you can see what it is supposed to be !

—Guest Tina

My Fav Favicon

I really like the shoe effect in http://www.heelornoheel.com/ readily easy to see what it is supposed to be. Clarity is vital, how many times have to sat and stared to see what the icon is supposed to be !?

—Guest Simon

My favicon

Thanks for providing this good information. Your post is very useful and wonderful. Thanks for sharing. My favorite favicon is www.favicon.co.uk/ Software Designing India

—Aashish.kunal

School logo to favicon

A few years ago I took the low quality school logo and turned it into a 3D logo with Xara3D. A month ago I turned the 2D logo into a favicon with Irfanview. Like most, once you know the icon the bookmark jumps out at you. http://lancasterchristianacademy.com/web/athletics/football/football_main.shtml

—Guest LCA Webdesign

Animated fav icons

One example is: http://www.933flz.com/main.html It's not the best animated one I have seen, it is just an example. Some are very pretty and they definitely catch your eye.

—Guest Suzen

Easily recognizable

I think a good favicon is like any logo, it instantly identifies the organization or individual behind it. Nike's swoosh, Pepsi's two-tone ball, etc., these are all instantly-recognizable logos that translate well into favicons. Take a look at coca-cola's though, their favicon is hardly distinguishable; the same with Ford's. A good example of a great favicon (imho) is Google's Gmail icon. It doesn't matter how many tabs you have open in your browser, that red envelope just jumps out at you and instantly identifies that page.

—dbmartin

Effective Favicons

It doesn't always work, but if you can design the company's logo into the favicon, it reinforces the company identity that much more, especially when it shows up in a list of bookmarks. I was able to make an effective favicon out of my own logo at www.foxworks.com

—Raymondo17

Bold primary color

Favicons based on one bold primary color are the most effective for me. Google does a great job I like the stylized g with primary color backgrounds.

—scottidesign.com

Simple and Memorable

I think the Gmail favicon is very good. It is simple an envelope with a red M overprinted. If somehow you have never done so before, you can see it at http://mail.google.com/

—tcosmas

fav favicon

I love the craigslist favicon. It's cute, simple, and colorful.

—wendyskains

My Favorite Favicon

A good favicon must be legible, color coordinated, and, if possible, relative to what the site is all about. The favorites I've made are: http://www.antiquesandadventures.com/ http://www.peruvianhairlessdogs.com/ http://www.jonathanvanatom.com/ http://www.pawsforparrish.org/ http://www.keepingtimeclocks.com/

—B.Williams

Sunny Favicons

There are 2 favicons I created that I am happy with. One is at http://keeponthesunnyside.com and the other is a sunset photo I took and turned into a favicon at http://www.thesunnyside.biz

—Guest Trish Cox

My favorite favicon

It just happens to be mine. Its a disc golf basket - which is the target for any disc golfer

—Guest toona26157@hotmail.com

Clarity and Colors

I found that after trying a few time to make my Favico, Clarity and Simplicity was what worked the Best. I am still working on my website, but you can see my Favico here - www.miamistitches.com

—Mari_Mambo