canopy-icon

name	canopy-icon
description	Best practices for the Canopy UI Icon component. Trigger when using lg-icon, LgIconComponent, or adding functional UI icons in an Angular project using Canopy.
license	MIT
metadata	{"source":"https://github.com/Legal-and-General/canopy/tree/master/projects/canopy/src/lib/icon/docs/guide.mdx"}

Canopy UI Icon — Best Practices

This skill provides usage guidance and input reference for the Canopy lg-icon component from @legal-and-general/canopy.

Apply this skill whenever you use lg-icon or LgIconComponent.

See also: the pictogram skill for brand/illustrative icons.

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Import

import { LgIconComponent } from '@legal-and-general/canopy';

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Basic Usage

<lg-icon name="email"></lg-icon>

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Inputs

Input	Type	Default	Required	Description
name	string	undefined	Yes	The name of the icon.

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Sizing

Icons size to 1em (height and width), inheriting the font-size of their parent. Scale icons on the 4px scale.

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Colour

By default, icons use currentColor for their fill, so they inherit the text colour of their parent element.

<span style="color: var(--colour-green-700)">
  <lg-icon name="email"></lg-icon>
</span>

Note: The help and query-outline icons cannot change colour.

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Decorative vs. Informative Icons

• For decorative icons (pure visual adornment), add aria-hidden="true":

  <lg-icon name="arrow-right" aria-hidden="true"></lg-icon>
  

• For informative icons with no accompanying visible text, provide screen-reader text:

  <lg-icon name="link-external" aria-hidden="true"></lg-icon>
  <span class="lg-visually-hidden">opens in a new tab</span>
  

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Dos and Don'ts

Do

1. Do scale icons on the 4px scale for crisp outlines.
2. Do use charcoal or high-contrast colour icons on white backgrounds.
3. Do use tinted colours on light backgrounds — minimum contrast ratio 4.5:1.
4. Do use white icons on high-contrast backgrounds.
5. Do add aria-hidden="true" to decorative icons.

Don't

1. Don't scale icons below 16px.
2. Don't scale icons above 64px — use pictograms or illustration for more prominent graphics.
3. Don't overlay icons on photographic backgrounds.
4. Don't use low-contrast colour combinations.