Should we combine social icons into a sprite image, or keep them separate?

Currently in the process of developing an HTML/CSS template, with plans to incorporate social media icons from the following source:

These icons are available as 41 individual .png files. The goal is to integrate them into the template using CSS classes for easy accessibility, like so:

<i class="icon-twitter"></i>
<i class="icon-facebook"></i>

The dilemma arises regarding whether to reference each icon as a separate file within the CSS classes, or consolidate all 41 icons into a single sprite and adjust the background position for each class (CSS sprites technique).

Considering that the average website may only use about 3 or 4 icons at a time, and the fact that the sprite created is 42kb in size compared to the 2kb average file size for individual files, the question of the most efficient solution arises.

Furthermore, does the distribution of icons within the sprite matter? For instance, should they be arranged in 2 columns and 21 rows, or perhaps 6 columns and 7 rows?

Seeking insights on the best approach for this scenario. Cheers!

Answer №1

An efficient way to optimize your website's performance is by consolidating all images into a sprite. Thanks to various generators available, this task can be done effortlessly.

Creating a sprite will help minimize the number of HTTP requests, thus improving loading times.

Answer №2

When creating a template, it's advisable to offer users two options.

One option could include a sprite with popular icons like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

The second option could feature a sprite containing all the icons available.

This way, users can select which sprite to use with the template.

You can keep the CSS consistent for either sprite by including the "most popular icons" at the top of the sprite containing all icons.

The key idea is to minimize the number of HTTP requests, so this approach would result in only one HTTP request but with a smaller file size and an optional larger one.

Answer №3

Create a unified class for housing all sprites.

Create separate classes for aligning the sprites. The specific arrangement is not crucial; the goal is to minimize HTTP requests.

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