Best Image Formats for Icons and Logos
Select the optimal image format for icons, logos, and brand graphics. Compare PNG, WebP, SVG, and AVIF with guidelines for different sizes and use cases.
Use Case Guide
Detailed Explanation
Image Formats for Icons and Logos
Icons and logos have characteristics that are very different from photographs: sharp edges, flat colors, text elements, and often transparency. These properties strongly favor certain formats.
Format Recommendations by Use Case
App Icons and Favicons
- PNG: The standard for app stores and favicons
- SVG: For scalable web icons (not all contexts support SVG)
- ICO: Required for legacy favicon support
Website Logos
- SVG: First choice for logos (vector, infinitely scalable)
- PNG: When raster is required (CMS limitations)
- WebP: For the smallest possible file size with transparency
Social Media Profile Pictures
- PNG: Best quality for upload (platforms will re-compress)
- JPEG: Acceptable if no transparency needed
Why JPEG Is Wrong for Logos
JPEG compression creates visible ringing artifacts around sharp edges:
- Text becomes blurry with halos
- Clean lines develop mosquito noise
- Flat color areas show blocky gradients
- Each re-save makes it worse
PNG vs WebP for Icons
| Metric | PNG-8 | PNG-24 | WebP Lossless |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colors | 256 | 16.7M | 16.7M |
| Alpha | Binary or 8-bit | Full 8-bit | Full 8-bit |
| 64x64 icon | ~2 KB | ~5 KB | ~3 KB |
| 256x256 icon | ~8 KB | ~40 KB | ~20 KB |
Best Practices
- Use SVG whenever possible for web logos and icons
- Export PNG at exact pixel dimensions needed (avoid scaling down large PNGs)
- Use PNG-8 for icons with fewer than 256 colors
- Optimize with tools like pngquant, optipng, or this converter
- Provide multiple sizes for responsive design (16px, 32px, 64px, 128px, 256px, 512px)
Use Case
Brand designers, UI developers, and anyone preparing icon and logo assets for web and mobile applications. Using the wrong format for icons wastes bandwidth and can visibly degrade brand appearance.