These practical icons allow you to identify the site you're visiting at a glance, especially when several tabs are open at the same time in a single browser.
Most of the time, this icon is made up of an image showing all or part of the logo of the website consulted. Often, a more minimalist version of the logo is proposed for the favicon. The main objective is to enable internet users to quickly recognize the website that they’re visiting.
This web element is above all of interest for brand image. Be careful, however, to respect the format and dimensions of this file:
- The favicon is a square image, with a ratio of 1:1, and it should measure between 16 x 16 pixels and 48 x 48 pixels.
- In terms of format, .PNG is the preferred choice. However, .SVG is an optimal option, as it corresponds to the vector image format, which means that the visual is free from the constraints of changing dimensions in browsers. For a long time, the .ICO format was the standard, but it's becoming obsolete in the face of .PNG.
To create a favicon, the most common graphics software such as Canva or Photoshop can be used.
Although you can opt to add your favicon to your website via HTML, most CMSs allow you to download the favicon in just a few clicks from their back office. This icon is often requested in the configuration pages of websites, at the appearance level, near the logo download tab.
A unique, colorful favicon will act as a signature in the internet user's mind. Memorable, the brand will be recognized from the very first page visited by the user.
This small visual is part of the graphic charter of the brand to which it’s linked. Although the aim is to offer a recognizable, highly visible icon, it’s imperative that this image uses the same color scheme as the rest of the website.
A genuine marketing challenge, some brands modify their favicon according to the time of year, "dressing up" the icon with accessories to celebrate the calendar highlights and thus create several dynamic favicons (for Christmas, Pink October, Valentine's Day, etc.).
