Problems When Saving Your Icons? Here’s the Answer

For those Flaticon contributors out there: here’s another tip to avoid rejection! 

Recently, Illustrator’s presets for saving icons changed causing some unwanted issues in the icons your send. 

Has this ever happened to you? If the answer is yes, then here is a step-by-step guide to avoid your icons from being rejected due to Illustrator default settings.

Pro tip: before going through the steps below, we recommend you make a backup of your icon. This way, you can have an editable copy and try as many times as you need.

Changing presets

Why do my icons change if I don’t do anything? Well, the answer is Illustrator presets values. When saving an icon (svg) using the default values, Illustrator uses some presets that affect the icon and deform it.

So, basically what we’ll be doing here is to detect when these values change and correct them.

1. The first thing you have to do is save the icon (make sure it’s in SVG format!).

2. Go to File> Save as… and it’ll automatically display the SVG options window.

3. Once there, click on More options

Decimals

Here’s the issue: when saving an icon, Illustrator displays only 1 decimal by default. So, change this number to 3 or 4. A higher value makes the file size larger and increases image quality.

Whether it’s 3 or 4, you may need to check your icon to prevent shapes or strokes from getting distorted.

It may become a bit tiresome to change the value every time you save a new icon. So, there’s also an option to do it automatically. 

How to speed up the exporting process

It’s also possible to apply the steps above to the entire icon pack automatically. All you have to do is download this script.

You can install it or use without installing and just run the script every time you need it: File>Scripts>Other Scripts.

Installing the script

If you want to install it, here are some steps to follow depending on your operating system:

• Windows:

Windows explorer> Hard disk> Adobe> Adobe Illustrator > Preset values >en_EN>Scripts

• Mac: 

Have a look at this guide on how to install scripts on Illustrator.

Running the script

1. Go to File>Scripts> SVG file folder 
2. Select your icon pack
3. After accepting, the icons will appear one on top of the other. IMPORTANT: Do not select any icon.
4. Then, go to File>Scripts>Export layers to SVG (IL2018)
5. Select the pack again and accept.

Before you go

You put a lot of effort into your icon designs, we know that. Sometimes avoiding rejection is easier than it seems. Follow this checklist every time you finish an icon and make sure you send your icons in perfect shape  :

• Artboard size ✔️. Work with an artboard of 512 px.
• Simplify the icon composition ✔️. When designing, use the minimum anchor points as possible. If you use too many anchor points, it can cause deformations, and your icon can be rejected.
• Create a backup of the icon ✔️, especially before expanding the strokes. This way, you can go back to the original file every time you need it.
• Check the icons before submission✔️. Icons may come out deformed once exported. So, after doing the exporting steps, always check your icons and ensure they are fine (you’ll avoid rejection!).

Become a pro of icon design and take your Flaticon portfolio to the next level. There are thousands of users out there looking for quality icons like yours!

Become a contributor now!