Canvas recently released a new feature for the Rich Content Editor called the “Icon Maker.” Learn more about this feature, some best practices, and tips on how using (or avoiding) the feature can improve the design of your course.

[note: selections of content in this section were adapted from Nicole Hiers’ excellent “The Dos and Don’ts of Icon Maker”. Click here to access her guide.]

Quick Links

Event Recording | What Is the Icon Maker? | Use Icons To…

Why Use This Tool? | Best Practices | Examples | Relevant Guides

Event Recording

What Is the Icon Maker?

The Icon Maker is a simple icon builder that’s built-in to the Rich Content Editor of Canvas. The tool enables you to create simple icons in different shapes, sizes, colors, and text options without leaving Canvas’ interface or opening another software program.

Use Icons To…

…Chunk Content

Add to a section header to emphasize a block or chunk of content. (sample text below borrowed from Penn State’s Canvas Styles resource)

White Space

White space is defined as the space between elements. Good use of white space helps create page layouts that are easier to view, improve readability, and lessen cognitive load. This can help keep learners stay engaged with the content. If elements like callout boxes, tables, and headings aren’t clearly separated, readers may have difficulty understanding where one section begins and another ends.

…Use As A Navigational Aid

Create icons to direct students to custom resource tabs, or a targeted navigation menu.

Note: please do not recreate the main navigation menu!

…Associate Image With A Call To Action

Create an icon that functions as a consistent call to action, such as for readings or assignments.

Remember: When you read this week’s article, focus on the author’s use of key sentences.

Why You Should Consider Using This Tool

There are many ways to create icons outside of Canvas, and these tools offer more control over style and design. But, there are a few benefits I see to the tool:

The tool is built into Canvas, so you don’t need to go outside the software.
It’s fairly easy to use, and doesn’t require significant design experience.
My favorite feature is that you can tell Canvas to update every instance of an icon to make changes across an entire course.
Icons can help build some visual cohesion to your course design.
Once you identify your needs, you can build an icon toolkit and easily drop-in icons for use in your course builds.

Best Practices/Caveats

*Note: The customization options are limited, and currently, Canvas Icon Maker does not allow you to make custom icons from images, although this is in their roadmap of future features. Canvas regularly makes updates to its tools, though, so keep an eye for updates to this feature and (hopefully) the addition of other icon options.

Keep It Simple!

Use icons sparingly.
Don’t replace all bullets with icons, or use icons as a substitution for headers.
Remember to write alt-text.
- Imagine what the image would need to be if it was only text instead of an icon.
For higher ed, I’d recommend using only icon sizes of small and extra small.
- While it’s an extra step, consider resizing the default icon sizes smaller if no text is in the icon.
Keep a consistent color palette/shape/text style.
If you’re building with icons, your default text size should probably be 14 or 16.
Mobile users may see poor alignment even if the layout looks right for the laptop screen.
- When possible, consider using center aligned icons and/or center justifying.

Make a Course Toolkit

Consider making a toolkit that you can pull from throughout your course. The toolkit should be simple, and reflect 2-3 clear use cases. Once you make your toolkit, you can easily distribute them across a course when building.