With UI’s design growing, media icons cannot be left out, especially for social media icons. Some of the most popular social media have distinctive icons that are easily recognizable. Putting the icons on your website would give a clear message to the website’s audience of the icon’s function.
Why Putting Social Media Icons on Your Website?
Social media has been a way to connect people for the last decade. When the audience sees the social media buttons and icons on your website, they know right away that your business is easy to reach, and they can follow what you do in the future without having to visit your website and check.
It is important to provide the details of your social media handles or linking them directly to your business’ profile. Since internet users fully recognize the icons, you don’t have to provide explanations or tags on the icons.
However, some guidelines need to be followed in using the icons of particular social media. Here are some of the things you need to know:
Facebook Icon
The Facebook “F” icon can be downloaded from Facebook’s resources page. It should be displayed in its original dimension and color. To adjust to the theme, a black and white version of the icon is also acceptable. However, it is best not to decorate the Facebook icon with other design elements to keep the icon recognizable.
Instagram Icon
Instagram provides its official icon on the Instagram Brand Resource Center section. If you need to use the icon on a website, make sure that it is not any smaller than 29 x 29 pixels. Yet, Instagram gives the freedom to change the multicolor icon to a solid color following your page’s theme.
Besides websites, you may need to request permission, especially if you are going to use the Instagram icon on a print that is larger than 8.5 inches x 11 inches.
YouTube Icon
From the website, you may want to direct your visitor to a YouTube channel you run. While YouTube approved icon is provided in their platform, there are also some rules you need to follow.
It needs to be placed proportionally regarding its size. The height of the icon should not be less than 24 pixels in digital content. There are two versions of the logo, which are the full-color and black-and-white logo. You may only pick one of them, and you are not allowed to alter the dimension, typeface, shape, or adding any visual decoration. Lastly, the icon should only link to YouTube content.
Pinterest Icon
Pinterest requests that its logo should always be in its original color without any alterations. If you are using a call to action, make sure that it is not using the word “Pin” as a verb. Some phrases that you can use are “Find us on Pinterest”, “Visit us”, and “Get inspired on Pinterest”.
Whatsapp Icon
Whatsapp provides its approved logo on its Whatsapp Brand Resources page. One of the guidelines is to use the green and white logo of Whatsapp. If not possible, the black and white Whatsapp logo is acceptable. To refer to the iOS version, always use the green square logo of Whatsapp.
Guidelines for Media Icons Use
Social media icons are free to use, especially when you provide a link to the platform as an extension to your website content. Through social media, visitors of the website may convert into followers and customers. To make better use of the icons, here are some quick tips:
- Place them strategically. Make sure that the media icons are visible to your website visitors.
- Use proportional dimension and size. Some social media platforms require minimum pixel size for their icons. It is important to keep the icon visible and recognizable.
- Do not look for the logo from other sources. They usually provide resources in their platform. You need to retrieve the logo there before making any modification.
With the guidelines above, you will see that each social media has particular rules before you can place the icon commercially. Checking on their resources page may help you to see what you can do to their icons and how to place them without any implying trouble in the future.
