--- 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.