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EnglishHow to Contribute to Pictogrammers
Updated
You can get involved with Pictogrammers in four concrete ways: tackle issues and icon requests in one of their libraries, write or update documentation for newcomers, build an integration the project doesn't have yet, or reach out with questions on Mastodon or via a GitHub issue. Pictogrammers describes itself as a dedicated group of collaborators from all walks of life, and its contribution paths are open-ended rather than gated behind a formal application.
What Pictogrammers Is
Pictogrammers is an open-source iconography project for designers and developers. Its stated goal is to make iconography easily accessible for any use case, from designers building prototypes to developers writing code. The libraries are used by open-source software projects and industry teams to build their apps.
The project's own framing of contribution is broad: "If you're looking to get involved with the Pictogrammers, there are many ways you can help!"
Contribution Paths
1. Tackle issues and icon requests
Each library maintains its own queue of issues and icon requests. This is the most direct route if you want to work on iconography itself — either fixing problems with existing icons or creating icons that users have asked for.
Start by picking one library rather than spreading across all of them. The two featured libraries are:
| Library | Description | Scale |
|---|---|---|
| Material Design Icons (MDI) | The original library, following Google's Material Design guidelines for system icons | Over 7,200 unique icons |
| Material Design Icons Light (MDI Light) | A lighter take on Google's Material Design guidelines; icons are slimmed down to be modern, crisp, and clean | Featured library |
MDI is described as the project's largest library, so it typically has the deepest backlog of requests if you want a large pool to choose from. MDI Light is the newer, lighter-weight counterpart.
2. Write and update documentation
Pictogrammers explicitly invites people to "write and update documentation to help those looking to get started." This path suits you if you'd rather improve onboarding than draw icons — for example, clarifying how a library is structured, or documenting a workflow that tripped you up when you first used it.
3. Build a missing integration
If you want to write an integration that Pictogrammers doesn't already have, the project's answer is simply: "Go for it!" There's no listed approval step for this — the invitation is open-ended, which means the useful first move is to check whether an integration for your framework or toolchain already exists before starting.
4. Ask questions and make contact
If you're unsure where you can make an impact, the project points to two channels:
- Mastodon — for reaching the team directly
- GitHub issue — for opening a question or discussion in the project's tracker
How to Decide Where to Start
- You want to contribute icons or fix them → work the issue and icon request queues in MDI or MDI Light.
- You're good at explaining things → documentation is the stated need.
- You work in a toolchain that lacks support → write the integration yourself; the project welcomes it.
- You don't know yet → ask on Mastodon or open a GitHub issue, then pick a path.
Common Sticking Points
- Choosing a library. MDI and MDI Light are separate libraries with separate queues. Committing to one keeps your work coherent.
- Assuming you need permission. The project's language around integrations is permissive ("Go for it!"), not application-based.
- Skipping the check for existing work. Before writing an integration or an icon, confirm it isn't already covered — the libraries are large, and MDI alone has over 7,200 icons.
The project closes its own invitation plainly: "We look forward to meeting you!"