Favicon Typography & Text Design
Master typography in favicons: letter-based design, font selection, readability at 16x16px, and professional text icon creation.
Typography in Favicons
A
Single Letter
Most common type
AB
Initials
Brand identity
123
Numbers
Unique identifiers
$
Symbols
Special characters
When to Use Typography-Based Favicons
? Great Use Cases
- Personal brands: Your initials
- Company names: First letter of brand
- Simple branding: Clean, minimal approach
- Multi-site networks: Different letters per site
- Professional services: Law firms, consultants
- Educational sites: University departments
- Numbered series: Volume 1, 2, 3...
? Avoid For
- Long words: Won't fit or be readable
- Complex branding: Needs visual icon instead
- E-commerce: Product icons work better
- Entertainment: Visual symbols more engaging
- Games: Graphic icons preferred
- Apps: Usually need iconic symbols
- Generic sites: Doesn't differentiate
Font Selection for Favicons
Choosing the Right Typeface
Font Characteristics for Small Sizes:
| Characteristic | Best Choice | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | Bold or Black | Thicker strokes more visible at 16px |
| Style | Sans-serif | Cleaner, more readable at small sizes |
| X-height | Tall | Larger letters fill space better |
| Spacing | Condensed or Normal | Fits better in square format |
| Details | Minimal | Complex details disappear at small sizes |
Recommended Font Families:
Excellent Choices:
- Arial Black - Universal, bold
- Helvetica Bold - Clean, professional
- Impact - Very bold, high contrast
- Futura Bold - Geometric, modern
- Gotham Black - Contemporary
- Proxima Nova Bold - Versatile
Avoid:
- Thin fonts - Disappear at small sizes
- Script fonts - Illegible when tiny
- Decorative fonts - Too complex
- Light weights - Not enough contrast
- Serif fonts - Serifs blur together
- Condensed italics - Hard to read
Single Letter Favicons
Design Principles for Single Characters
1. Letter Selection:
Best Letters (Recognizable):
- Wide letters: M, W, H, N
- Distinctive shapes: O, Q, S, Z
- Symmetrical: A, H, M, T, V, W, X, Y
- Brand initial: First letter of company name
Challenging Letters:
- I, l: Too narrow, looks like a line
- O, 0: Can be confused
- 1, I, l: All look similar
- 5, S: Can be confused
2. Size & Positioning:
M
Centered
Standard approach
A
Oversized
Bold statement
W
Background
With color
S
Circular
Badge style
3. Color Considerations:
- High contrast: Dark letter on light background or vice versa
- Brand colors: Use primary brand color for letter or background
- Accessibility: Ensure 4.5:1 contrast ratio minimum
- Distinctive: Choose colors that stand out in browser tabs
Two-Letter Favicons (Initials)
Initials & Abbreviations
Design Approaches:
JD
Side by Side
Equal weight letters
M
K
Primary + Secondary
Emphasized first letter
A
B
Stacked
Vertical layout
Best Practices for Two Letters:
- Tight spacing: Letters should be close (negative letter-spacing)
- Slightly smaller: Use 70-80% of single-letter size
- Same case: Both uppercase OR both lowercase (not mixed)
- Test readability: Must be clear at 16x16px
- Consider monogram: Overlapping or merged letters
Technical Implementation
Creating Text Favicons
1. Using SVG (Recommended):
<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 32 32">
<!-- Background -->
<rect width="32" height="32" fill="#0066CC" rx="4"/>
<!-- Letter -->
<text
x="16"
y="24"
font-family="Arial, sans-serif"
font-size="24"
font-weight="900"
text-anchor="middle"
fill="#FFFFFF">
M
</text>
</svg>2. Design Tools:
Vector Tools:
- Figma: Type tool, export as SVG/PNG
- Adobe Illustrator: Professional vector
- Sketch: Mac design tool
- Inkscape: Free, open-source
Raster Tools:
- Photoshop: Type layers, export PNG
- GIMP: Free alternative
- Canva: Online, simple
- Pixlr: Online editor
3. Canvas Size Guidelines:
| Size | Font Size | Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| 16x16px | 11-13px | Browser tabs (test at this size!) |
| 32x32px | 22-26px | Taskbar, bookmarks |
| 64x64px | 44-52px | Design master, scaling base |
| 180x180px | 120-140px | Apple Touch Icon |
| 512x512px | 360-400px | PWA, Android |
Common Typography Mistakes
Avoid These Errors
? Don't Do This:
- Too thin: Light weight fonts disappear at 16px
- Too small: Font size too small to read
- Too many letters: More than 2 letters unreadable
- Serif fonts: Details blur at small sizes
- Low contrast: Gray text on white background
- Decorative fonts: Fancy fonts become blobs
- Mixed case: aBc looks messy
- Italic: Too slanted, hard to read
? Best Practices:
- Bold fonts: Heavy weight for visibility
- Large size: Fill 70-80% of space
- 1-2 letters max: Keep it simple
- Sans-serif: Clean, modern typefaces
- High contrast: Black/white or complementary colors
- Simple fonts: Clear, readable characters
- Consistent case: All caps or all lowercase
- Upright: Normal, not slanted
Real-World Examples
Famous Letter-Based Favicons:
Letter: "in"
Style: Lowercase, white on blue
Why it works: Simple, professional, matches brand
Medium
Letter: "M"
Style: Serif, white on black
Why it works: Bold, distinctive, literary feel
Quora
Letter: "Q"
Style: Serif, white on red
Why it works: Unique shape, memorable
Testing Typography Favicons
Readability Checklist
Test at Multiple Sizes:
Create Your Typography Favicon
Generate professional letter-based favicons with our easy-to-use tool
Generate Text Favicon