Icon Design
Select the right icon for the job. Maps concepts to icons, provides templates, prevents common mistakes.
Quick Reference (Top 20 Concepts)
| Concept | Lucide | Heroicons | Phosphor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Award/Quality | Trophy | trophy | Trophy |
| Price/Value | Tag | tag | Tag |
| Location | MapPin | map-pin | MapPin |
| Expertise | GraduationCap | academic-cap | GraduationCap |
| Support | MessageCircle | chat-bubble-left-right | ChatCircle |
| Security | Shield | shield-check | Shield |
| Speed | Zap | bolt | Lightning |
| Phone | Phone | phone | Phone |
Mail | envelope | Envelope | |
| User/Profile | User | user | User |
| Team | Users | user-group | Users |
| Settings | Settings | cog-6-tooth | Gear |
| Home | Home | home | House |
| Search | Search | magnifying-glass | MagnifyingGlass |
| Check/Success | Check | check | Check |
| Close/Cancel | X | x-mark | X |
| Menu | Menu | bars-3 | List |
| Calendar | Calendar | calendar | Calendar |
| Clock/Time | Clock | clock | Clock |
| Heart/Favourite | Heart | heart | Heart |
Library Selection
| Library | Best For | Package |
|---|---|---|
| Lucide | General use, React projects | lucide-react |
| Heroicons | Tailwind projects, minimal style | @heroicons/react |
| Phosphor | Weight variations needed | @phosphor-icons/react |
Default recommendation: Lucide (1,400+ icons, excellent React integration)
See references/library-comparison.md for detailed comparison.
Icon Style Rules
Sizing
| Context | Tailwind Class | Pixels |
|---|---|---|
| Inline with text | w-4 h-4 or w-5 h-5 | 16-20px |
| Feature cards | w-8 h-8 | 32px |
| Hero sections | w-10 h-10 or w-12 h-12 | 40-48px |
| Large decorative | w-16 h-16 | 64px |
Consistency Rules
- •Never mix styles - Use all outline OR all solid in a section
- •Never use emoji - Use proper icon components (tree-shakeable)
- •Use currentColor - Icons inherit text color via
stroke="currentColor" - •Semantic colours - Use
text-primary, nottext-blue-500
Tree-Shaking (Critical)
Dynamic icon selection breaks tree-shaking. Use explicit maps:
tsx
// BAD - all icons bundled
import * as Icons from 'lucide-react'
const Icon = Icons[iconName] // Tree-shaken away!
// GOOD - explicit map
import { Home, Users, Settings, type LucideIcon } from 'lucide-react'
const ICON_MAP: Record<string, LucideIcon> = { Home, Users, Settings }
const Icon = ICON_MAP[iconName]
Selection Process
- •Identify the concept - What does the label/title communicate?
- •Check semantic mapping - See
references/semantic-mapping.md - •Choose library - Lucide (default), Heroicons (Tailwind), Phosphor (weights)
- •Apply template - See
references/icon-templates.md - •Verify consistency - Same style, same size in section
Decision Tree
When unsure which icon:
code
Is it about recognition/awards? → Trophy, Star, Award Is it about money/price? → Tag, DollarSign, CreditCard Is it about location? → MapPin, Globe, Map Is it about people/team? → Users, UserGroup, User Is it about communication? → MessageCircle, Phone, Mail Is it about safety/trust? → Shield, Lock, ShieldCheck Is it about speed/time? → Zap, Clock, Timer Is it trade-specific? → Check semantic-mapping.md Still unsure? → CheckCircle (generic positive) or Sparkles (generic feature)
Resources
- •
references/semantic-mapping.md- Full concept→icon tables by category - •
references/icon-templates.md- React/HTML patterns with Tailwind - •
references/library-comparison.md- Lucide vs Heroicons vs Phosphor - •
references/migration-guide.md- FA/Material → modern equivalents - •
rules/icon-design.md- Correction rules for projects