Facebook made a subtle but significant changes to ‘friends’ and ‘groups’ icons

Have you noticed the new icons on Facebook? It has been changed. The world’s largest social network has swapped the male and female figures in ‘friends’ and ‘groups’ icons with subtle, but significant changes. The female figure moved to the front, on the same level as the male figure, as a symbol of equality.

Earlier, the female figure in the ‘friends’ icon was behind the left side of the male figure, symbolically under his shade. And in ‘groups’ icon, the male figure was in front and one male and a female figure was kept behind on both sides. Now, the female figure has been brought forward with two male figures kept behind her.

Facebook’s design manager Caitlin Winner posted an article on Medium about the new icon change and the way they did it. According to Caitlin, the male figure in icons had normal and rounded shoulders, while the female glyph had a chip in the left shoulder, and that was the marker to place the female glyph behind the male glyph.

She has also tried many kinds of hair styles on both the glyphs and made subtle changes to both the glyphs as well as icons. Now, the woman in front has a “robust” shoulder, according to Caitlin Winner.

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