Social media icons by their nature, are logos. They have a stylized and distinctive design that is instantly recognizable. That recognition comes from both the use of a stylized symbol, with the use of color. Social media networks such as Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest, all use a very distinctive symbol with an associated color.
Take Facebook as an example with its distinctive royal blue background and white colored F. Take away the blue, and the Facebook F has much less impact. On the other hand, the little Twitter bird is so recognizable, that it can be completely stylized and changed. But with social media, the whole idea is to get people to click. Sometimes keeping things simple and easily recognizable, is the best way to go for design with social media.
Icons which retain the original colour and shape, and which are clean and simple, are often sought after by designers. These icons are often referred to as flat or minimalist.
Here are 10 minimal and flat social media icon-sets you can download for free! Each of these sets maintains the original logo and color, but with a modern and crisp look.
1. Free Minimal Social Icon Set
The Free Minimal Social Icon Set from dustn.tv is a favorite. These are clean, crisp, and modern icons. In addition they come in a range of color and backgrounds making them perfect for any layout or blog design. We especially like the iso-color version.
More info: dustn.tv/social-icon-set
2. Flat Social Icons EPS
These stunning flat and minimal icons are from Sensational Fix. The set comes in both square and round and is free to download. What can we say? Clean and elegant!
More info: http://sensationalfix.com/flat-social-icons-eps/
3. Simple Flat Social Media Icons
These crisp and sharp icons are from Graphics Fuel. They are free to download in both PNG and PSD formats. They retain the simplicity and colour of the original media. While considered “flat” icons, they have a nice drop-shadow which gives them a feel of depth and prominence. The colours are bright and cheerful.
More info: http://www.graphicsfuel.com/2013/06/simple-flat-social-media-icons-psd-png/
4. Flat Social Media Icons
If you like the Simple Flat Social Media Icons above, but wanted them without the drop-shadow then you are in luck! Here is the Flat Social Media Icon Set from DesignModo. Clean and classic! Unfortunately, something we don’t like, is you will have to enter a valid email address to unlock the download.
More info: http://designmodo.com/flat-social-icons/
5. Social Media Line Icons
Here is another set from Graphics Fuel. We love these simple and clean Line Icons! For the pure minimalist at heart, these social media line icons are subtle and simple, yet classy and definitive. These icons would suit a clean white design where the goal is meant to be subtle and minimalist. Although they would work on a dark background, we think they would certainly be less noticeable. But for a white background, we think these icons are simply gorgeous!
More info: http://www.graphicsfuel.com/2013/12/social-media-line-icons/
6. Metro Icons
For something a little more modern and funky, check out these Metro Icons from Qamar Loop on Dribble. We think they are awesome! Although they retain the classic icon colors, the icons themselves are smaller with the background color being transparent. Cool! Unfortunately, they are not vector and only in PSD format.
More info: https://dribbble.com/shots/1242983-Metro-Icons-freebie
7. Flat Social Media Icons by Enfuzed
If you love the look of classic flat icons, you’ll love this flat icon set from Enfuzed. This set of 45 social media icons come in vector .ai and .eps formats, so that you can easily change the colors. One set contains colorful icons and the second one is grey on white (for modifying). If you need more than just the usual Facebook, Twitter and Google+ icons, then this set is for you!
More info: http://enfuzed.com/free-flat-social-media-icons/
8. Simple Icons
You can’t go wrong with simple! And in the case of simpleicons.org that is exactly what you get – clean and simple icons. Each icon comes in a PNG file that you can download and modify to your needs. You can view the sample page and click on each icon for a corresponding PNG file. A really nice feature of simpleicons.org is the landing page gives you the HEX, RGB, and HSL color values. As there are 140 icons in this set, you’ll find more than just social media! A fantastic collection and a great resource.
Note: There is a download link for the entire set at the top-right of their web page.
9. Flat Social Media Icons (Aviat Studios)
Here is a classic set of square and flat icons from Aviat Studios. They are clean and simple, with bright colors, and well designed! Need we say more? We think they would look fantastic with slightly rounded corners, but easy enough to do in Photoshop or AI.
More info: http://aviatstudios.com/2013/06/19/free-flat-social-media-icons/
10. Premium Flat Social Icon Set
Jamie Peak has a nice collection of flat social icons he’s designed. Although he sells a premium set of 80 icons for $6, you can download 20 of his icons for free! There are 10 round, and 10 square with rounded corners. They are bright and clean!
More info: http://jamiepeak.co.uk/premium_flat_social_icon_set
Readers what’s your take? Do you like flat social media icons? Have you used these on your website or blog? Let us know!