SVG Icon Generator
Generate simple SVG icons from basic shapes.
Topmost in the list draws last (in front).
How to use SVG Icon Generator
What this tool does
The SVG Icon Generator lets you build a simple, clean icon by stacking basic shapes. You start from a blank canvas or a preset, add circles, squares, rounded rectangles, triangles, lines, stars and rings, then position and style each one. Every shape is a layer you can select, recolour, rotate, resize and reorder. The preview is rendered as real SVG so what you see is exactly what you export. When the icon is ready, download it as a scalable SVG, export a crisp PNG, or copy the SVG code straight into your project. It loads with a small two-shape starter icon so the canvas is never empty.
Icons are deceptively hard to draw freehand but easy to assemble from geometry. A play button is a triangle on a circle. A checkmark is two lines. A badge is a star on a disc. This tool leans into that idea: give you the primitives and a layer system, and let simple combinations do the work.
When you would use it
Designers and developers reach for a tool like this when they need a quick, original icon and do not want to open a full vector editor or hunt through an icon library with unclear licensing. It suits interface work — a status dot, a toggle glyph, a small feature mark — and it is just as useful for slide decks, documentation, hobby apps, game UI and classroom materials. Students learning how vector graphics work can see the relationship between shapes, coordinates and the resulting SVG markup. Anyone building a side project can produce a consistent little set of icons in one colour scheme in a few minutes.
Because the output is plain SVG, the icons drop neatly into web pages, component libraries, README files and design tools.
How to use it
- Pick a starter preset to see a finished example, or begin from the default starter icon.
- Choose a canvas size — 24, 48, 64 or 128 units. This is the SVG viewBox; the icon scales freely regardless, so the number mainly sets the coordinate grid.
- Click a button under Add a shape to drop a new primitive onto the canvas. It appears in the layer list.
- Select a layer, then use the editor to set its position, size, rotation, opacity, fill colour and stroke. Use Move up and Move down to change which shapes sit in front.
- Watch the live SVG preview update with every change.
- Export with Download SVG for a scalable file, Download PNG for a fixed-resolution image, or Copy SVG code to paste the markup directly.
Tips for great results
Keep it simple — the best flat icons use two or three shapes, not ten. Decide on a small palette first and reuse those exact colours across every icon so a set looks like a family. Use rotation to turn a triangle into an arrow or a play mark, and use opacity to layer a soft accent behind a solid shape. Centre shapes near the 50% position and leave a little breathing room at the edges so the icon does not feel cramped. If a shape should be an outline rather than a solid, set its fill to none and give it a stroke, or use the dedicated ring and line shapes.
To choose colours, the gradient generator and the other Creative tools can help you settle on a scheme. If you need a flat placeholder block instead of an icon, the placeholder image generator covers that, and the image compressor will shrink any PNG you export before it goes on the web.
Privacy
The whole tool runs in your browser. Shapes are composed and the SVG is rendered by JavaScript on your device, and the SVG and PNG downloads are generated locally. Nothing about your icon is uploaded, logged or stored after you close the tab. That means you can design marks for confidential products or unreleased work without any of it leaving your computer.
Frequently asked questions
What kind of icons can I make with this tool?
Why are SVG icons better than PNG for interfaces?
When should I export PNG instead?
How do layers work?
Is my icon kept private?
Related tools
SVG Optimizer
Optimise and shrink SVG file size.
Logo Placeholder Maker
Create quick text-based placeholder logos.
Pattern Generator
Generate seamless geometric patterns.
Identicon Generator
Generate GitHub-style identicon avatars.
Spirograph Generator
Generate hypnotic spirograph patterns.
Placeholder Image Generator
Create placeholder images with custom text and colors.