Now that everyone knows how important adding social media links to a website or blog is, I’m always on the lookout for great looking social media buttons. Sure, I’ve designed my own- sometimes it’s necessary to create unique ones to suit a unique design- but more often than not, I turn to my collection of pre-made social media buttons, the best of which I share with you here today. They’re awesome- and they’re free.

Twitter Buttons

I’ll admit my bias here: I designed many of these buttons, with a wide selection of styles from boxy to glossy to girly. These aren’t meant for downloading- simply input your Twitter ID, hit “Go”, and copy the code directly beneath the button(s) of your choice. Visit Twitter Buttons »

Social Icons Hand-Drawned

There are quite a few “hand-drawn” style buttons out there. These, released on by TheG-Force on Deviant Art, are my favorite. They’re hand-drawn, but still stay true to the social media logo colors, making them easy for your visitors to find on your page. Get Social Icons Hand-Drawned »

Social Bookmark Iconset

I find myself using this one over and over, especially when a particular project could use (or, let’s be frank, a client insists on) a small injection of that Web 2.0-gloss-and-reflection-style. They’re well made, and include most of the popular services today. No Twitter, though- but for that, see Twitter Buttons above. Get Social Bookmark Iconset »

Aquaticus Social

Next to the Iconset above, I use this the most. With 30 buttons to choose from, there’s one for nearly every social media service you can think of- from Twitter to Facebook to Vimeo. Because they’re hip-to-be-square, they require less space than round icons, and when you’re pixel-counting, that’s a very good thing. Get Aquaticus Social »

Cheers

Finally, I couldn’t list my Favorite Five without including Smashing Magazine’s contribution to the free social media icon world. From a RSS beer mug, to a shot of StumbleUpon, to a champagne flute of Twitter- these may not be suitable for every project, but they certainly belong in any designer’s button collection. Get Cheers »