5.5 KiB

name, description, origin
name description origin
ios-icon-gen Generate iOS app icons as PNG imagesets for Xcode asset catalogs from SF Symbols (5000+ Apple-native) or Iconify API (275k+ open source icons from 200+ collections). Use when generating icons, creating icon assets, adding icons to asset catalog, or searching for icons for iOS projects. community

iOS Icon Generator

Generate PNG icon imagesets for Xcode asset catalogs from two sources.

When to Activate

  • Generating icon assets for an iOS/macOS Xcode project
  • Searching for icons across open source collections
  • Creating PNG imagesets (1x, 2x, 3x) for asset catalogs
  • Replacing placeholder icons with production-quality assets
  • Matching existing icon styles in an Xcode project

Core Principles

1. Two Sources, One Output Format

Both sources produce identical Xcode-compatible imagesets. Choose based on need:

Source Icons Requires Best for
Iconify API 275,000+ from 200+ collections Internet Wide selection, specific styles, open source icons
SF Symbols 5,000+ Apple symbols macOS only Apple-native style, offline use

2. Always Match Existing Style

Before generating, check the project's existing icons for size, color, and weight consistency.

3. Output Structure

Both methods produce a complete Xcode imageset:

<output-dir>/<asset-name>.imageset/
  Contents.json
  <asset-name>.png        # 1x (68px default)
  <asset-name>@2x.png     # 2x (136px default)
  <asset-name>@3x.png     # 3x (204px default)

Examples

Step 1: Assess Requirements

Determine icon needs: what the icon represents, preferred style, target color, and size.

If the project already has icons, check existing style:

# Check dimensions of existing icon
sips -g pixelWidth -g pixelHeight path/to/existing@2x.png

Step 2: Search for Icons

Iconify API (recommended for wide selection):

# Search all collections
$SKILL_DIR/scripts/iconify_gen.sh search "receipt"

# Search within a specific collection
$SKILL_DIR/scripts/iconify_gen.sh search "business card" --prefix mdi

# List available collections
$SKILL_DIR/scripts/iconify_gen.sh collections

SF Symbols (for Apple-native style): Browse the SF Symbols app or reference common names:

Use Case Symbol Name
Document doc.text, doc.fill
Receipt doc.text.below.ecg, receipt
Person person.crop.rectangle, person.text.rectangle
Camera camera, camera.fill
Scan doc.viewfinder, qrcode.viewfinder
Settings gearshape, slider.horizontal.3

Step 3: Preview (Optional)

# Iconify preview
$SKILL_DIR/scripts/iconify_gen.sh preview mdi:receipt-text-outline

Step 4: Generate

Iconify API:

# Basic generation
$SKILL_DIR/scripts/iconify_gen.sh mdi:receipt-text-outline editTool_expenseReport

# Custom color and output location
$SKILL_DIR/scripts/iconify_gen.sh mdi:receipt-text-outline myIcon --color 007AFF --output ./Assets.xcassets/icons

Options: --size <pt> (default: 68), --color <hex> (default: 8E8E93), --output <dir> (default: /tmp/icons)

SF Symbols:

# Basic generation
swift $SKILL_DIR/scripts/generate_icons.swift doc.text.below.ecg editTool_expenseReport

# Custom color, weight, and output
swift $SKILL_DIR/scripts/generate_icons.swift person.crop.rectangle myIcon --color 007AFF --weight regular --output ./Assets.xcassets/icons

Options: --size <pt> (default: 68), --color <hex> (default: 8E8E93), --weight <name> (default: thin), --output <dir> (default: /tmp/icons)

Step 5: Verify and Integrate

  1. Read the generated @2x PNG to verify visually
  2. Copy to asset catalog if not output there directly:
    cp -r /tmp/icons/<name>.imageset path/to/Assets.xcassets/<group>/
    
  3. Build the project to verify Xcode picks up the new assets
Prefix Name Count Style
mdi Material Design Icons 7400+ Filled + outline variants
ph Phosphor 9000+ 6 weights per icon
solar Solar 7400+ Bold, linear, outline
tabler Tabler Icons 6000+ Consistent stroke width
lucide Lucide 1700+ Clean, minimal
ri Remix Icon 3100+ Filled + line variants
carbon Carbon 2400+ IBM design language
heroicons HeroIcons 1200+ Tailwind CSS companion

Browse all: https://icon-sets.iconify.design/

Scripts Reference

Script Source Path
iconify_gen.sh Iconify API (275k+ icons) $SKILL_DIR/scripts/iconify_gen.sh
generate_icons.swift SF Symbols (5k+ icons) $SKILL_DIR/scripts/generate_icons.swift

Best Practices

  • Search before generating -- browse available icons to find the best match
  • Match existing project style -- check dimensions, color, and weight of existing icons before generating new ones
  • Use Iconify for variety -- 200+ collections means you can find the exact style you need
  • Use SF Symbols for Apple consistency -- they match system UI perfectly
  • Generate directly to asset catalog -- use --output ./Assets.xcassets/icons to skip manual copying
  • Verify visually -- always preview the @2x PNG before committing

Anti-Patterns

  • Generating icons without checking existing project icon style
  • Using default colors when the project has a defined color palette
  • Generating at wrong sizes (check existing icons first)
  • Committing generated icons without visual verification