Icon Set Design Brief

A complete icon design brief that ensures every icon in the set looks like it came from the same hand.

Best For

•A product designer commissioning a freelance icon set uses this brief so every returned icon matches stroke weight and grid without a revision cycle.
•A design system owner documents icon rules before expanding a UI library from 40 to 150 icons across multiple contributors.
•A brand team briefing an agency on marketing iconography references specific icon sets to pin down the exact aesthetic distance from generic stock icons.

Prompt Template

Write a design brief for a custom icon set for [PRODUCT_OR_BRAND_NAME]. The icon set will be used in: [USE_CONTEXTS, e.g., web app navigation, mobile UI, marketing materials]. The brief must cover: (1) Icon style definition, line weight (specify in px at 24x24px), corner radius, fill vs. outline approach, and visual metaphor approach (literal vs. abstract), (2) Grid and sizing, master grid size, safe zone/padding, and export sizes required: [EXPORT_SIZES], (3) Brand alignment, describe how the icon style should reflect the brand personality: [BRAND_PERSONALITY], and reference 2–3 icon sets whose style is close to the target aesthetic (and what to borrow from each), (4) Icons required, list all [NUMBER_OF_ICONS] icons needed organized by category: [ICON_LIST_BY_CATEGORY], (5) Consistency rules, 4 non-negotiable rules the designer must follow for every icon (e.g., stroke caps, minimum line weight, pixel-snapping), (6) Deliverables, file formats (SVG, PNG, icon font), naming convention, and Figma/Illustrator organization structure.

Pro Tip

State the export sizes and file format needs (SVG vs icon font) up front in EXPORT_SIZES, since retrofitting a naming convention across 100+ icons later is far more expensive than defining it first.

Example Output

A sample of what this prompt produces once you fill in the placeholders.

Icon style: 2px stroke at 24x24px, rounded caps, outline-only (no fills), abstract over literal metaphors. Grid: 24px master grid with 2px safe zone. Consistency rules: all strokes end in rounded caps, no icon exceeds 20px within the live area, corner radius stays at 2px across every icon.