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Template Pack: Favicons for Map, Food, and Local Discovery Micro-apps

UUnknown

2026-02-20

8 min read

Curated favicon templates and code for Maps, Dining, and Local Discovery micro-apps—templates, manifest, CI, and WordPress examples.

Stop wasting time hand-crafting dozens of icons — get a ready-made, brandable favicon pack for Maps, Dining, and Local Discovery micro-apps

Build once, ship everywhere. If you’re maintaining micro-apps (dining recommendation widgets, map utilities, or local discovery tools), you know the pain: multiple formats, inconsistent render across browsers, CI friction, and flaky mobile home-screen installs. This guide delivers a curated set of favicon templates and code-first examples for three micro-app verticals — Maps, Dining, and Local Discovery — plus automated workflows for WordPress, static sites, and PWAs.

Why a verticalized favicon pack matters in 2026

Micro-apps are booming. As creators lean into “vibe-coding” and AI-accelerated builders, many micro-apps ship fast and live briefly — but still need polished icons to appear trusted and recognizable across platforms. In late 2025 and early 2026 browser support for vector icons and maskable PWAs improved, and users expect crisp icons on high-DPI devices and when pinned to home screens.

“Once vibe-coding apps emerged, I started hearing about people with no tech backgrounds successfully building their own apps.” — Rebecca Yu (Where2Eat)

That’s the audience for these packs: fast-moving teams and solo creators who want trusted defaults, clear patterns, and automation to plug icons into CI and CMS workflows.

What you get in each template pack

Design assets — SVG master, layered PNG exports, and a monochrome maskable variant.
Pre-generated icon set — .ico, PNGs (16–512px), SVG favicons, and Android/Apple icons.
Manifest and meta snippets — ready-to-copy head tags and manifest.json templates for PWAs.
Integration examples — WordPress functions.php, static index.html head, and a GitHub Actions pipeline using sharp.
Best-practice config — caching headers, cache-busting, and Lighthouse-friendly settings.

Design language: three vertical templates

Each vertical includes a visual system (primary shape, accent, and maskable-safe area) so icons remain legible at tiny sizes.

Primary motif: angular map pin + compass needle
Palette: Deep teal (#0B6E6A), safety orange accent (#FF8A3D), neutral background (#F7F8FA)
Key sizes: large-lineweight stroke for 16px/32px clarity; simplified fill-only variant for very small sizes

Dining / Food template

Primary motif: plate with fork-and-knife silhouette or fork-over-pin
Palette: Warm cranberry (#C9382D), cream background (#FFF6F2), herb green accent (#2B8A4B)
Variation: circular icon for badges, square for toolbar usage

Local Discovery template

Primary motif: storefront awning + magnifier or pin + star
Palette: Midnight blue (#0F2A44), gold accent (#FFC857), soft gray background (#F4F7FA)
Use case: directory tiles, bookmark lists, progressive reveal on map pins

Practical export checklist (files every micro-app must have)

favicon.ico — legacy browsers and bookmark bars still rely on it.
favicon-16x16.png / favicon-32x32.png — browser tabs, SSR fallbacks.
apple-touch-icon.png — iOS home screen pin (180px or 192px recommended).
manifest icons — 192px and 512px PNGs, plus larger PNGs if you support high-res PWAs.
maskable icon — an icon with safe area so Android can apply adaptive shapes.
SVG favicon — crisp on modern browsers and simple to theme with currentColor where supported.

Example asset naming convention

Use a predictable naming scheme to simplify automation and caching:

map-app-favicon.svg
map-app-192.png
map-app-512.png
map-app-maskable.png
map-app.ico

Head and manifest snippets (copy/paste)

Short, practical snippets that work across the three verticals. Replace FILE-BASENAME with your chosen prefix (for example: map-app).

HTML <head>

<link rel="icon" href="/assets/FILE-BASENAME.ico">
<link rel="icon" type="image/png" sizes="32x32" href="/assets/FILE-BASENAME-32.png">
<link rel="icon" type="image/png" sizes="16x16" href="/assets/FILE-BASENAME-16.png">
<link rel="mask-icon" href="/assets/FILE-BASENAME.svg" color="#FF8A3D">
<link rel="apple-touch-icon" href="/assets/FILE-BASENAME-180.png">
<link rel="manifest" href="/site.webmanifest">
<meta name="theme-color" content="#0B6E6A">
<meta name="apple-mobile-web-app-title" content="Your App Name">

site.webmanifest

{
  "name": "Your App Name",
  "short_name": "App",
  "icons": [
    {"src": "/assets/FILE-BASENAME-192.png","sizes": "192x192","type": "image/png"},
    {"src": "/assets/FILE-BASENAME-512.png","sizes": "512x512","type": "image/png"},
    {"src": "/assets/FILE-BASENAME-maskable.png","sizes": "512x512","type": "image/png","purpose": "maskable"}
  ],
  "start_url": "/?utm_source=homescreen",
  "display": "standalone",
  "background_color": "#F7F8FA",
  "theme_color": "#0B6E6A"
}

Automation: generate icon packs with Node + sharp

Sharp is fast and reliable for CI image exports. Here’s a minimal script (Node) to produce PNGs and an ICO from a high-res SVG master.

// scripts/generate-icons.js
const sharp = require('sharp');
const fs = require('fs');
const sizes = [16,32,48,64,96,128,180,192,256,384,512];
(async ()=>{
  const svg = fs.readFileSync('assets/master.svg');
  await Promise.all(sizes.map(async sz => {
    await sharp(svg).resize(sz).png({ compressionLevel:9 }).toFile(`public/assets/app-${sz}.png`);
  }));
  // produce favicon.ico (contains multiple sizes)
  await sharp(svg).resize(64).png().toFile('tmp/ico-64.png');
  await sharp(svg).resize(32).png().toFile('tmp/ico-32.png');
  // use png-to-ico package or external tool to combine
})();

For CI, wrap this in a GitHub Actions job that runs on asset changes and commits to a static-assets branch.

WordPress integration (quick & clean)

If you’re building micro-app landing pages in WordPress (single plugin or theme), add a function to inject the optimized head tags and fallbacks.

// functions.php
function microapp_favicons() {
  echo '';
  echo '';
  echo '';
}
add_action('wp_head','microapp_favicons', 1);

For plugin-based micro-apps, store assets in the plugin’s assets folder and register a rewrite rule to serve immutable assets with long cache TTLs and a content hash.

Static sites (Netlify / Vercel) — deploy-ready example

For single-file micro-apps or static landing pages, drop the assets in /public/assets and add the head snippets above. Use a build step to timestamp or content-hash filenames, and update your manifest dynamically.

Caching & performance best practices

Use immutable caching for hashed filenames (Cache-Control: public, max-age=31536000, immutable).
Serve small icons inline (base64 data URI) only for the 16x16 favicon to shave one request when it’s critical.
Prefer PNG/WebP for raster and SVG for vector; keep an ICO fallback for legacy support.
Audit with Lighthouse — missing icons or mismatched manifests hurt PWA installability score.

Maskable icons and theming

Maskable icons ensure your icon is clipped into Android adaptive shapes without losing important details. Design a safe center area in your SVG master and export a maskable PNG with that safe area preserved. In your manifest include the purpose field as shown earlier.

Accessibility, color contrast, and icon recognition

Icons are tiny — legibility beats ornamentation. Use high-contrast foregrounds, avoid thin strokes, and prefer single-symbol silhouettes for 16px render. Test on 1x, 2x, 3x displays and with different color schemes. Provide a monochrome version or use currentColor-compatible SVGs to match dark/light themes.

SEO and discoverability considerations

Favicons do not directly change search rankings, but they improve brand recognition in search results, bookmarks, and PWA install prompts. Google’s search results (desktop) and browser UI benefit from correct icon types and sizes. Make sure:

Your manifest is reachable at /site.webmanifest and referenced in the head.
Theme-color reflects the app shell color for mobile browsers.
Apple-specific meta tags are set for iOS users who still rely on apple-touch-icon.

Real-world examples & mini case studies

Case study 1 — Where2Eat-inspired dining micro-app

Problem: The micro-app looked inconsistent when shared via social messages, and the icon blurred on iOS home screen. Solution: created a circular plate motif with a high-contrast fork silhouette, exported a maskable 512 PNG, and added a 180px apple-touch-icon. Result: consistent pinning on iOS, better recognition in chat previews, fewer support queries about “why my icon is blurry.”

Problem: Map pins and toolbar icons used different assets. Solution: unified the SVG master to produce a compact 16px fill-only glyph and a 512px export for the PWA. Automated generation via GitHub Actions ensured every commit updated the hashed assets. Result: consistent visuals from map pins to browser tabs and a 100% pass on installability checks.

Case study 3 — Local discovery directory (WordPress)

Problem: Plugin users would upload custom icons and break layout. Solution: plugin enforced recommended sizes, sanitized SVGs server-side, and generated raster fallbacks. Result: reduced user errors and improved plugin store trust signals.

Testing checklist

Open the site in Chromium, Firefox, Safari (macOS & iOS) and check tab, bookmarks, and home screen.
Use Lighthouse PWA audit; ensure icons are listed and maskable icon is recognized.
Test manifest via chrome://inspect/#applications (or equivalent) to verify sizes and purpose fields.
Verify caching headers and that hashed assets change after updates.

Future-proofing & 2026 trends

Expect even wider adoption of vector favicons and more OS-level adaptive icon controls through 2026. AI-assisted design tools will increasingly generate multiple icon concepts; treat them as raw material and apply the maskable-safe area and simplified glyph rules. Server-side automation and GitOps workflows will become the standard for micro-app creators so icons update together with branding changes.

Actionable checklist to implement a pack in one hour

Download the SVG master for the vertical (Maps/Dining/Local) or start with a template.
Run the sharp script or your icon generator to produce PNGs and an ICO.
Place assets in /public/assets and add the head and manifest snippets (replace FILE-BASENAME).
Commit to Git, run CI that uploads hashed assets to CDN, and set Cache-Control to 1 year immutable.
Run Lighthouse and open the site on iOS to validate apple-touch-icon and home-screen appearance.

Downloadable starter checklist (what to copy)

SVG master with safe area guides
Prebuilt PNG set (16–512px)
site.webmanifest template
Head tag snippet for static and WordPress copy/paste
CI script for GitHub Actions

Closing takeaways

Favicons matter for perception, discoverability, and installability. For micro-apps in Maps, Dining, and Local Discovery, a verticalized favicon pack saves time, removes guesswork, and provides consistent branding across all device surfaces. Use maskable icons, export SVGs, automate generation in CI, and always test on the browsers your users actually use.

Ready to stop struggling with icon sizes and platform quirks? Get the template pack for Maps, Dining, and Local Discovery, including SVG masters, generated asset bundles, and CI-ready scripts to plug into WordPress, static sites, or PWAs.

Action: Download the starter pack or try the generator in your CI. Need help customizing templates to your brand? Reach out for a hands-on migration guide and integration examples tailored to your stack.

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