Icon Systems: SVG Sprites vs Icon Fonts
Icons — the small symbols for menus, search, social links and more — need a consistent, efficient way to be delivered across your site. The two common approaches are SVG and icon fonts.
The choice affects sharpness, flexibility, accessibility and performance. SVG is now the modern preference for most projects.
Comparing the Approaches
- SVG — sharp at any size, easy to colour and animate, and accessible.
- Icon fonts — once popular and simple, but can render inconsistently and cause accessibility issues.
Why We Usually Choose SVG
SVG icons stay crisp on high-resolution screens, can be styled precisely, and are kinder to screen-reader users. They also avoid the odd flash of missing icons that fonts can suffer.
Keeping Icons Lean
We only include the icons your site actually uses rather than loading a whole library, and we make sure each one carries a sensible label for assistive technology. That keeps pages fast and accessible at the same time.
| Feature | SVG | Icon font |
|---|---|---|
| Sharpness | Perfect at any size | Good |
| Accessibility | Strong | Often weaker |
| Styling control | Very flexible | Limited |
If you need a hand with any of this, your Progressive Robot delivery team is ready to help. Raise a ticket from the Support area of your client portal or speak to your account manager and we will guide you through the next steps.