Citedy 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:
// 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:
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-to-icon tables by categoryreferences/icon-templates.md- React/HTML patterns with Tailwindreferences/library-comparison.md- Lucide vs Heroicons vs Phosphorreferences/migration-guide.md- FA/Material -> modern equivalents