Icons (Scottish Government Design System)
The Scottish Government Design System’s icon styles page (last updated February 2024): its icon set, when to go beyond it, and size, color, and accessibility rules.
License: Open Government Licence v3.0 — https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/ (stated in the page’s own footer).
Key points
- Use icons beyond the design system’s own set only when there’s an evidenced user need.
- Icons must have a clear meaning and function to users. Limit how many are used, and never let one icon represent more than one thing in a service.
- The default icon size is 24px, adjustable in 4px steps. Links containing icons must meet WCAG 2.2’s target-size criterion.
- Icons take the color of the surrounding text by default, and every icon must meet WCAG 2.2’s color-contrast criterion.
- Hide decorative icons from screen readers with
aria-hidden="true". When a screen reader needs to convey an icon, place a visually hidden text label before it.