Matt JohnsonThe best part of waking up is [pumpkin spice] in your cup.
This last May, we released our first Beta, “Orange Mocha Frappuccino”, and now — you guessed it — it’s time yet again for another release:
VERSION 6.0.0-BETA2: PUMPKIN SPICE LATTE
Take a sip and let us know what you think.
To get the flavor notes juuuuust right on Font Awesome 6, we need the discriminating taste of all you icon-sters out there. With your help, we’ll make the best Font Awesome evah!
Here’s the noteworthy progress report on Font Awesome v6!
Free Users Are Welcomed to the Beta Party Too
Until now, pre-releases were only available to Pro users. Not anymore. For the first time ever, Font Awesome is beta-launching a new version to free users so everybody gets a taste of the premium roast.
Font Awesome Free features nearly 100 new icons (and we might not be done)! Not only that, but every icon across the fa-library has cycled through the powder room for some cosmetic touch-ups. A little improvement here, a little there, and they’re all looking their fa-best.
More feedback from all our users means a better v6 for all once it’s time for official launch (which is right around the corner.)
Font Awesome 6 is Our Most Stable Release Yet
In fact, our Duotone icons are now using the battle-tested ligatures features powered by a brand new in-house font creation engine. We’ve also rolled out accessibility improvements for SVG + JavaScript. And we’ve focused on tool integrations to improve stability across our web fonts and SVG implementations.
We like to think of ourselves as compassionate people here at Font Awesome, but when it comes to fixing bugs, we show no mercy and go straight up Rambo on those creepy crawlies.
You don’t want to see anything scurrying across the fa-roastery floor when you’re enjoying your beverage!
With Beta 2, we’ve fixed (read: mercilessly squashed. And cleaned up.) over two dozen integration-tool bugs — some of which had been crawling around and causing trouble for years.
Icon Search Is Search-ier and Faster Than Ever
Narrow down your search by multiple categories, styles, and filters at one time to find the cup-togo, pumpkin, and sportsball icons you’ve always dreamed of using in your project.
And let’s not forget the mullet and dumpster-fire icons, either. Because, well, the “ape drape” is back, and let’s be honest, 2020 and 2021 have been a bit of a dumpster fire. (Kind of like that haircut.)
As with Beta 1, if you want to see all of the new icons we’ve added, including those in Beta 2, check out our “New in V6” filter.
Our Documentation Got the Ole Fa-refresh
Now it’s easier than ever to find what you’re looking for — whether you’re a n00b to Font Awesome, or a fa-jedi-master.
Navigating docs is easier since we’ve fine-tuned the consistency between them, and we’ve also improved the grok-ability of the how-tos.
We’ve also linked to more relevant content for follow-up learning deep dives, and created documentation for our new SVG Core Plugins systems, which lets you pick and choose the features you like to use.
We Added Some Sweet New Icons (and a Staff Fave Filter)
Counting our new Thin style, the version 6 icon tally adds over 6,000 new icons to Font Awesome. With Beta 2 we brewed up some pumpkin-spice-flavored additions, including a tasty batch of food icons, some sweet hairdos, a fiery selection of newly sponsored icons, and more.
We also ensured the fa-plane-arrival avoided a crash-landing, and we used our incredible intellects to rebuild our fa-school, all while giving a belly-rub to our sleek new otter.
Aaand we added a “Staff Favorites” filter in case you’ve ever wondered what we thought were the fa-cream of the fa-crop. (Wait, who added “fa-business-time” and “fa-socks”? Um, excuse me. HR?)
Help Us Brew the Tastiest Version of Font Awesome Yet!
While we nerd out about every conceivable aspect of icon-ery, we know that building robust tech takes an entire village. So please, poke around, and holler back at us with your feedback to let us know what’s working, what’s not, and what you think we can improve.
