If your blog needs a face lift, the creative types who power the web are here to help. Sometimes a few well-designed, tastefully placed icons can add a little class or creativity to an otherwise neutral theme.

Social media links, which we’d argue are a priority for any blog, are a great opportunity to add some texture. You could always roll with the standard-issue glossy, rounded-edge fare, but for those who want to distinguish themselves, there are more creative options out there.

To help, we’ve rounded up some of the most impressive works of social icon art circulating the web lately. The sets below all feature high-quality, high-detail icons that are easy to download and manipulate, thanks to their high resolutions and transparencies. Best of all, they’re free.

If you use a fun icon set that didn’t make our list, be sure to share the wealth in the comments section.

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You don’t need a “science” blog to take advantage of these lovely beakers. Anything that evokes knowledge, creativity or experimentation would be a good fit. Nine large icons in this set hit all the hip networks and then some.

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These are just too cute to pass up. There are only four of them, and we wish they were a little larger, but the detail and the theme make them great for your foodie blog or caffeine-infused treatises.

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These ice cubes are less practical, but they’re so nicely rendered we had to include them. Add them to your refrigeration industry news blog, or if you’re partial to the 3D icons without the ice, they are included in the download as separate PNG files.

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Add these social pastries to any blog for a hint of the sweet updates you’ll be posting to Twitter () and Facebook ().

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Pining for the days when you’d scribble appointments into a book, rather than your Google Calendar ()? Show your readers that you remember penmanship with these sleek Moleskines.

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There’s something about the texture of these swatches that draws the eye. They don’t feel like paper, but perhaps cardboard or fabric. They’d make a great fit for a grungier blog theme, but use them sparingly. Because they are all textured identically, too many of them in a row may detract from their casual, worn-out look.

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Is your blog full of “nature” and “out-of-doors” things, like “plants” and “animals?” This beautifully textured pack is perfect for green thumb content.

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If you’re tired of blue Twitter logos and orange RSS buttons, mix it up a little with these sophisticated, modern, and gradient-infused icons. Each logo comes in six different flavors, and the files are nice and big (420 pixels square). With this many color options and size possibilities, the set is a valuable asset for blogs of any style or hue.

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This bold set feels like a sticker book, but forgoes the “page peel” effect that can look redundant when you’re using multiple icons on the same page. They’re simple but clean, and the slightly raised look adds that dose of texture that many layouts ... Lire la suite de l'article