---
title: SVG favicon
date: 2020-12-29
updated_at: 2021-01-12
layout: post
lang: en
ref: svg-favicon
---
I've wanted to change this website's favicon from a plain `.ico` file to a
proper SVG. The problem I was trying to solve was to reuse the same image on
other places, such as avatars.
Generating a PNG from the existing 16x16 icon was possible but bad: the final
image was blurry. Converting the `.ico` to an SVG was possible, but sub-optimal:
tools try to guess some vector paths, and the final SVG didn't match the
original.
Instead I used a tool to draw the "vector pixels" as black squares, and after
getting the final result I manually cleaned-up the generated XML:
```xml
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="no"?>
<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 16 16" width="16" height="16">
<path d="M 0 8 L 1 8 L 1 9 L 0 9 L 0 8 Z" />
<path d="M 0 13 L 1 13 L 1 14 L 0 14 L 0 13 Z" />
<path d="M 1 8 L 2 8 L 2 9 L 1 9 L 1 8 Z" />
<path d="M 1 13 L 2 13 L 2 14 L 1 14 L 1 13 Z" />
<path d="M 2 8 L 3 8 L 3 9 L 2 9 L 2 8 Z" />
<path d="M 2 13 L 3 13 L 3 14 L 2 14 L 2 13 Z" />
<path d="M 3 8 L 4 8 L 4 9 L 3 9 L 3 8 Z" />
<path d="M 3 13 L 4 13 L 4 14 L 3 14 L 3 13 Z" />
<path d="M 4 7 L 5 7 L 5 8 L 4 8 L 4 7 Z" />
<path d="M 4 8 L 5 8 L 5 9 L 4 9 L 4 8 Z" />
<path d="M 4 13 L 5 13 L 5 14 L 4 14 L 4 13 Z" />
<path d="M 5 6 L 6 6 L 6 7 L 5 7 L 5 6 Z" />
<path d="M 5 7 L 6 7 L 6 8 L 5 8 L 5 7 Z" />
<path d="M 5 13 L 6 13 L 6 14 L 5 14 L 5 13 Z" />
<path d="M 6 5 L 7 5 L 7 6 L 6 6 L 6 5 Z" />
<path d="M 6 6 L 7 6 L 7 7 L 6 7 L 6 6 Z" />
<path d="M 6 14 L 7 14 L 7 15 L 6 15 L 6 14 Z" />
<path d="M 7 1 L 8 1 L 8 2 L 7 2 L 7 1 Z" />
<path d="M 7 14 L 8 14 L 8 15 L 7 15 L 7 14 Z" />
<path d="M 7 15 L 8 15 L 8 16 L 7 16 L 7 15 Z" />
<path d="M 7 2 L 8 2 L 8 3 L 7 3 L 7 2 Z" />
<path d="M 7 3 L 8 3 L 8 4 L 7 4 L 7 3 Z" />
<path d="M 7 4 L 8 4 L 8 5 L 7 5 L 7 4 Z" />
<path d="M 7 5 L 8 5 L 8 6 L 7 6 L 7 5 Z" />
<path d="M 8 1 L 9 1 L 9 2 L 8 2 L 8 1 Z" />
<path d="M 8 15 L 9 15 L 9 16 L 8 16 L 8 15 Z" />
<path d="M 9 1 L 10 1 L 10 2 L 9 2 L 9 1 Z" />
<path d="M 9 2 L 10 2 L 10 3 L 9 3 L 9 2 Z" />
<path d="M 9 6 L 10 6 L 10 7 L 9 7 L 9 6 Z" />
<path d="M 9 15 L 10 15 L 10 16 L 9 16 L 9 15 Z" />
<path d="M 10 2 L 11 2 L 11 3 L 10 3 L 10 2 Z" />
<path d="M 10 3 L 11 3 L 11 4 L 10 4 L 10 3 Z" />
<path d="M 10 4 L 11 4 L 11 5 L 10 5 L 10 4 Z" />
<path d="M 10 5 L 11 5 L 11 6 L 10 6 L 10 5 Z" />
<path d="M 10 6 L 11 6 L 11 7 L 10 7 L 10 6 Z" />
<path d="M 11 6 L 12 6 L 12 7 L 11 7 L 11 6 Z" />
<path d="M 11 8 L 12 8 L 12 9 L 11 9 L 11 8 Z" />
<path d="M 10 15 L 11 15 L 11 16 L 10 16 L 10 15 Z" />
<path d="M 11 10 L 12 10 L 12 11 L 11 11 L 11 10 Z" />
<path d="M 11 12 L 12 12 L 12 13 L 11 13 L 11 12 Z" />
<path d="M 11 14 L 12 14 L 12 15 L 11 15 L 11 14 Z" />
<path d="M 11 15 L 12 15 L 12 16 L 11 16 L 11 15 Z" />
<path d="M 12 6 L 13 6 L 13 7 L 12 7 L 12 6 Z" />
<path d="M 12 8 L 13 8 L 13 9 L 12 9 L 12 8 Z" />
<path d="M 12 10 L 13 10 L 13 11 L 12 11 L 12 10 Z" />
<path d="M 12 12 L 13 12 L 13 13 L 12 13 L 12 12 Z" />
<path d="M 12 14 L 13 14 L 13 15 L 12 15 L 12 14 Z" />
<path d="M 13 6 L 14 6 L 14 7 L 13 7 L 13 6 Z" />
<path d="M 13 8 L 14 8 L 14 9 L 13 9 L 13 8 Z" />
<path d="M 13 10 L 14 10 L 14 11 L 13 11 L 13 10 Z" />
<path d="M 13 12 L 14 12 L 14 13 L 13 13 L 13 12 Z" />
<path d="M 13 13 L 14 13 L 14 14 L 13 14 L 13 13 Z" />
<path d="M 13 14 L 14 14 L 14 15 L 13 15 L 13 14 Z" />
<path d="M 14 7 L 15 7 L 15 8 L 14 8 L 14 7 Z" />
<path d="M 14 8 L 15 8 L 15 9 L 14 9 L 14 8 Z" />
<path d="M 14 9 L 15 9 L 15 10 L 14 10 L 14 9 Z" />
<path d="M 14 10 L 15 10 L 15 11 L 14 11 L 14 10 Z" />
<path d="M 14 11 L 15 11 L 15 12 L 14 12 L 14 11 Z" />
<path d="M 14 12 L 15 12 L 15 13 L 14 13 L 14 12 Z" />
</svg>
```
The good thing about this new favicon
(at [`/static/lord-favicon.svg`](/static/lord-favicon.svg)) is that
a) it is simple enough that I feel
comfortable editing it manually and b) it is an SVG, which means I can generate
any desired size.
With the new favicon file, I now had to add to the templates' `<head>` a
`<link>` to this icon:
```html
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8" />
<link rel="icon" type="image/svg+xml" href="/static/favicon.svg">
...
```
Still missing is a bitmap image for places that can't handle vector images. I
used Jekyll generator to create an PNG from the existing SVG:
```ruby
module Jekyll
class FaviconGenerator < Generator
safe true
priority :high
SIZE = 420
def generate(site)
svg = 'static/favicon.svg'
png = 'static/favicon.png'
unless File.exist? png then
puts "Missing '#{png}', generating..."
puts `inkscape -o #{png} -w #{SIZE} -h #{SIZE} #{svg}`
end
end
end
end
```
I had to increase the priority of the generator so that it would run before
other places that would use a `{% link /static/lord-favicon.png %}`, otherwise
the file would be considered missing.
