ShareNo website is complete without social media icons. And nowadays everything from email signatures and business cards to posters and video spots benefit from a little “iconography.”But before slapping icons on every asset your company owns, there are a few things to consider—including legalese. Despite the ubiquity of icons in all shapes, colors and sizes online, social media icons are registered trademarks.
They are protected by copyright and enforceable brand guidelines. Image via under CC0We’ve assembled download links for all the major social network icons, as well as best practice guidelines that will keep your icon use on the level. And we’ll help you steer clear of design blunders with tips on how to tailor icon use for each medium. Bonus: Get the step-by-step social media strategy guide with pro tips on how to grow your social media presence. Where to source social media icons FacebookKey:. Only use the icon in Facebook blue or reversed white and blue. Revert to black and white if facing color limitations.
Blue, grey, white and black versions are available for download. The Facebook icon should always appear in a rounded square-shaped container.
Free vector art: Social media icons. EpicPxls has a great set of Social Media icons in vector format, free to download here. Stuart Hall offers an interesting look at the colors of app icons on iOS and the Mac in this article. Blue, by far, is the most popular color; but if you want to stand out from the crowd, purple is.
Make sure the icon is reproduced in a legible size. It should be at equal size to all other icons.
Do not animate or represent the logo in the form of physical objects. Download icons according to your medium. Facebook variations of its icon spec’d for online, print, and TV and film.Icons for online use (.png)TwitterKey:. Only use the icon in Twitter blue or white. Bonus: Get the step-by-step social media strategy guide with pro tips on how to grow your social media presence.
Image via Sephora e-newsletter PrintSocial media icons are space savers in print collateral such as brochures, print ads, or business cards. But don’t forget that you can’t hyperlink on paper.A good workaround for offline icons is to use just the domain name and the direct link to your company’s page.
Or, skip the domain name altogether.Option 1: (F) facebook.com/Hootsuite(T) twitter.com/HootsuiteOption 2: (F) Hootsuite(T) @HootsuiteOption 3: (F) (T) @HootsuiteOn business cards, if you don’t plan to include a URL or handle, then you may not want to include the icon—especially if the handle is not obvious. But if your company has a high profile and is easy to find on social media, standalone iconscan be an elegant way to signal your brand’s presence on social media in print ads and brochures. David’s Tea print ad, via Escapism magazine One More Bake by Elizabeth Novianti Susanto on Behance. The Cado by Cristie Stevens on Behance. TV and videoLike print, if you’re using video on a medium that doesn’t allow viewers to click on an icon, then you should include the URL. On YouTube, you can include clickable icons using the annotations feature.
Most often “follow” call-to-actions come at the end of a brand video. Make sure to allot enough time for viewers to read the URL.Many social media brands require permission requests and sometimes mock-ups before allowing companies to use their icons.
Best practices for using social media iconsThanks to widespread use of reshaped and revised icons and third-party sites like Iconmonstr or Iconfinder, many brands and social media managers don’t realize that use of altered icons is strictly forbidden.Here are some common guidelines you should be familiar with before adding social media icons to your marketing materials. Download from the sourceWhen in search of social media icons, try getting them from the social network websites first. We’ve also assembled the download links for the most popular social media icons below. No alterationsAll social media logos and icons are trademarked. That means rotating, outlining, recolouring, animating, or edits of any kind are not permitted. Size uniformlyDisplay all social media icons at equal size, height, and resolution if possible.
Don’t display social media icons larger than your own logo or wordmark. And don’t display any of the network icons larger than another network icon (e.g., making the Facebook icon larger than the Instagram icon).
Space evenlyMake sure icons are spaced in a way that meets the “clear space” requirements of each social media company. Choose three to fiveVery often icons are used as call-to-actions, and if you use too many, you risk overwhelming visitors with decision fatigue. Not to mention the clutter that too many icons create on business cards or assets with limited space. Determine the top three to five channels that are most important for your brand and audience. A full list can be included in the contact section of a website or in the website footer. Order by priorityIf LinkedIn is a more strategic network for your brand than Instagram, for example, make sure LinkedIn appears first in your icon list. Use the latest versionSocial media companies require that brands using their icons ensure they keep them up to date.
But also, using old logos will stick out and could signal that your company is “behind the times.” Don’t use the wordmarkMost social media companies explicitly state that you should never use the wordmark in place of the icon. Wordmarks are typically for corporate use only, and represent the company, as opposed to your company’s presence on the network. Make your brand the focusFeaturing icons too prominently could wrongly imply sponsorship, partnership, or endorsement, and potentially land your company in legal trouble. Plus, your brand should be the focus of your marketing materials anyway.
Link to your company profileThis may seem obvious, but don’t link to a product page, personal profile, or the generic homepage of the site. It’s commonly understood, expected, and in some cases required, that these icons link to your company profile page on the specified network. Request permissionAs a general rule, if you plan to use the icons in a way not specified in the brand guidelines, it’s best to double check.
Download reason 6.0.2 for mac. These must be located in the Reason application folder. We recommend that you uninstall your previous Reason version.Windows users: Use the 'Uninstall' function in the Control Panel.Mac users: Manually delete the Reason folder.3. If you already have these installed, it's easiest to move them to another folder before updating, and then move them back again afterwards.2. InstallWindows users: Extract all files from the downloaded zip archive.
Some brands may forbid use of icons on manufactured products, such as T-shirts or other memorabilia. In other cases, you may be required to send a mock-up of intended use.Now that you know how to legally advertise your brand’s presence on all the major social networks, easily manage all your social channels from one dashboard using Hootsuite.
Schedule and publish posts, reply to followers, track your performance, and more. Try it free today.