How to Browse and Use Pictogrammers Icon Libraries

Updated

Pictogrammers is an open-source iconography project for designers and developers. You can browse its featured libraries directly from the Pictogrammers website, and the two headline libraries are Material Design Icons (MDI) and Material Design Icons Light (MDI Light). Use MDI when you want the largest, most established set that follows Google's Material Design system icon guidelines; use MDI Light when you want a lighter, cleaner visual weight. The site's Featured Libraries section is the starting point for entering either library.

What Pictogrammers offers

Pictogrammers describes itself as a dedicated group of collaborators from around the world who build iconography as a universal visual language. Its stated goal is to make icons easy to find and implement, whether you are a designer building prototypes or a developer writing code.

The homepage highlights two featured libraries:

Library What it is Best suited for
Material Design Icons (MDI) The original library, following Google's Material Design guidelines for system icons; described as the largest library with over 7,200 unique icons Projects that need broad coverage and a familiar Material-style system icon set
Material Design Icons Light (MDI Light) A lighter interpretation of Google's Material Design guidelines, with slimmer, modern, crisp, clean icons Interfaces where a lighter visual weight fits better than standard MDI

Both are presented as open-source libraries used by teams ranging from open-source software projects to industry leaders.

How to browse the libraries

  1. Go to the Pictogrammers website.
  2. Find the Featured Libraries section on the homepage.
  3. Select Browse Library under the library you want — Material Design Icons or Material Design Icons Light.
  4. Use the library page to search or scan for the icon you need.

The homepage itself does not list individual icon names or search filters; that happens after you enter a specific library through its Browse Library entry.

How to use the icons

Pictogrammers frames its libraries around two workflows:

  • Designers building prototypes — find an icon visually and place it into a mockup or design file.
  • Developers writing code — find an icon and implement it in an app or site.

The site states that finding and implementing an icon "should be a snap," but it does not publish integration steps, package names, or framework-specific instructions on the homepage. Those details live on the individual library pages, so check the relevant library page for the current integration method before assuming a particular package or format.

Getting involved or getting help

If you want to contribute rather than just consume icons, Pictogrammers lists several ways to help:

  • Tackle issues and icon requests on one of the libraries.
  • Write or update documentation for newcomers.
  • Build an integration that does not yet exist.

For questions about contributing, the site points to Mastodon or a GitHub issue as contact channels.

Practical notes before you commit

  • Start with MDI if you are unsure. It is the original and largest library, so it is the safer default for broad icon coverage.
  • Choose MDI Light for visual weight, not coverage. The homepage describes it as a lighter spin on Material Design, not as a larger or more complete set.
  • Verify integration details on the library page. The homepage confirms the libraries exist and are open source, but it does not specify installation commands, licensing terms, or supported frameworks — confirm those at the source before building them into a project.