What a favicon is: the browser-tab icon
Photo: Avila Ops Tecnologia
Favicons are small icons beside website names in browser tabs. Your smallest brand piece fits a 16-by-16-pixel square. Without one, browsers show generic icons (Chrome’s gray globe), making websites look abandoned.
Customers compare Mother’s Day gifts across tabs, then find yours again by the icon. Google may also display favicons beside search-result website names.
Why does the whole logo not work?
Sixteen pixels cannot hold names, slogans, and artwork. Favicons need symbols: business initials, logo shapes, or brand colors with recognizable marks.
If logos have separate symbols, use those. Text-only logos use the first letter in brand font and color. The same symbol serves app icons and Instagram profiles: logos on dark backgrounds and app icons.
Which sizes and formats are needed?
Browsers request multiple files for different locations:
- 32 by 32 pixels, PNG or ICO: desktop tabs.
- 180 by 180 pixels, PNG: iPhone home-screen saves (apple-touch-icon).
- 192 by 192 and 512 by 512 pixels, PNG: Android and Google.
- SVG (vector artwork retaining quality when enlarged), where supported.
Website builders add files and referring code. If purchased websites lack favicons, ask. For full brand contents, see what visual identity is and what it includes.
If “Casa Flor” is written in green, its favicon is a green C on white in the same font. Search results show that C beside the store name; Instagram uses it too.
What to do now
Check your site’s tab. Gray globe or generic icon means none. Squeezed whole logo means wrong one. Consistent branding across Instagram, website, browser tab: avilaops.com/identidade-visual or contact us on WhatsApp: wa.me/5517997811471.
Frequently asked questions
Do favicons help on Google?
They may appear beside names on mobile and desktop. Google requires square icons and recommends over 48 by 48 pixels. Rankings do not change, but recognition and clicks do.
Can photos be favicons?
At 16 pixels, photos blur. Icons need simple shapes with one or two colors.
Why does the old favicon remain after changing it?
Browsers cache old icons for days. Check in private windows or other devices.
Turn what you learned into your next step.
Tell us about your company and what you want to improve. We can explore the right tools, integrations or custom project together.