Your Etsy Shop Icon: DOs and DON’Ts

etsy-shop-logo-customTiny as it may be, your Etsy shop icon is, nonetheless, important.

Probably even more important than your cover photo.

This is why today we’re going to take an in-depth look and go over some specific guidelines that will help you come up with the best (and most memorable!) icon for your Etsy business.

One more note before we proceed: having a well thought-out shop icon will help strengthen your brand across the board. So don’t just resort to the grey default icon! A custom one will show shoppers that you are serious, dedicated and that you mean business.

Ready to dive in? Go:

Etsy Shop Icon – General Considerations

  1. Use the KISS principle. KISS stands for “keep it simple, stupid”, “keep it short and simple” or “keep it simple and straightforward”. In our case, it suggests that simple, easy-to-understand images work better than over-designed ones.

  2. Make it memorable. Your Etsy shop icon should work towards building a strong brand identity, wherever it is seen across the marketplace.

  3. Don’t stuff it. Meaning: don’t try to cram too much info into it. Space is at a premium within an icon, so keep the number of graphic elements to a maximum of three (logo, graphic, tagline).

  4. Make sure its recognizable on its own. If you separate the icon from the rest of your shop, does it still hint at what your shop’s about? If not, it’s time to re-think it.

  5. It should look good and be readable at (almost) any size. Especially if you also plan on using it on your site or on social media profiles. Those Instagram profile pictures are small!

Photo credit
Photo credit

Etsy Shop Icon – Graphic Suggestions (Starters)

  1. Use your logo on a white (or monochrome) background. This is the easiest way to go about it. If you already have a logo for your shop, use it! Just plop it on a simple background, but pay attention to the proportions: it must be distinguishable even from a distance.

  2. Avoid cluttered backgrounds. It may look awesome now, but wait until you add a logo. Here’s a good rule of thumb: if in doubt, edit out.

  3. Use a representative product shot along with your logo. This works best if your shop is specialized in selling only one type of items. Examples: linen covers, bags, shoes etc.

  4. Play with symmetry. Mirroring (lines, backgrounds, graphic elements) is a simple way to make your Etsy shop icon stand out.

  5. Convey your speciality. If your logo doesn’t have any graphic elements on its own, consider adding a symbol to the mix to convey what your shop’s about – especially when your shop’s small and not well know (just yet!).

Photo credit
Photo credit

Etsy Shop Icon – Resources

  1. Canva: You can pretty much rely on this online graphic app for all of your design needs. Bonus? Etsy themselves have partnered with Canva to make it easier for you to figure out your Etsy shop icon. Read more about it here.

  2. PicMonkey: You can also effortlessly create your icon in PicMonkey, another online graphic resource. Find out how to get started here.

  3. Outsource it: Things can get complicated when designing a shop icon from scratch. Even if its dimensions are smaller, the amount of consideration and graphic skills that must be poured into it is significant. For this reason, if you’re not a graphic designer, you’ll be better off outsourcing the task to a professional.

Sizing reminder:

Your shop icon needs to be 500 x 500 pixels. Remember not to make it any smaller than this, or it will become blurry when you blow it up to this size. Instead, going with larger dimensions and then downsizing the design will ensure that all the elements stay clear and crisp.