The Lava Icon Format

In May 2025, Airbnb unveiled a revamped app design featuring a groundbreaking media format for icons, termed "Lava." Diverging from traditional still images or standard animations, Lava is a unique "micro" video format crafted for animated icons, delivering a set of engaging, multidimensional 3D icons that add an element of playfulness and efficiency to the user interface.

Lava emerges as a 3D animated icon format, essentially a streamlined video with a see-through background, specifically optimized for UI icons. This innovation was developed to surpass the constraints of existing technologies like Lottie and standard video formats.

Notable Features:

• File Architecture & Design: Lava operates as a proprietary container for brief animated visuals, functioning similar to a concise video clip that likely consolidates image frames along with transparency. The icons are 3D-rendered with a transparent backdrop, enabling them to blend seamlessly with any UI environment.
• Animation & Rendering Excellence: Supporting full 32-bit color with transparency, Lava icons allow effects such as subtle shadows and glows. The format captures detailed 3D illustrations and offers precise control over playback.
• Compatibility Across Platforms: Crafted to function seamlessly on Airbnb's web and mobile applications without requiring platform-specific modifications, Lava's custom rendering engine ensures broad compatibility.
• Optimized Performance and Efficiency: Tailored to address previous limitations, Lava merges the visual intricacy of prerendered 3D with the nimble performance of a specialized format.

Can we have it?

In short, no. But if Airbnb decides to open source the encoding tools (like in Bodymovin for lottie before) then it will probably look like this:

1. Creation and Animation: Design and animate your icon using 3D modeling tools, then render to a sequence of PNG frames with transparency.
2. Lava Encoding: Export the animation into a format that can be encoded into Lava, utilizing the Lava encoder to compress the frames into a .lava file.
3. Implementation and Testing: Employ Airbnb's Lava player SDK to integrate the icon into an app, which ensures consistent appearance and functionality across platforms. Hopefully we also get direct Webflow support as well.

TIPP: If you are looking for some fun Icons in that style, check out https://www.thiings.co/things they have prompted themselves a great collection of them!

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Promt your own

Use this prompt to get something really close (even if not Lava formatted). Just switch "Your Idea" with "Red Book", "Lava Lamp"... You get the Idea.

--Generate [ Your Idea ] icon with this JSON style:{"icon\_style": {"perspective": "isometric","geometry": {"proportions": "1:1 ratio canvas, with objects fitting comfortably within margins","element\_arrangement": "central dominant object, with supporting elements symmetrically or diagonally placed"},"composition": {"element\_count": "2–4 main objects","spatial\_depth": "layered to create sense of dimension and slight elevation","scale\_consistency": "uniform object scale across icon set","scene\_density": "minimal to moderate, maintaining clarity and visual focus"},"lighting": {"type": "soft ambient light","light\_source": "subtle top-right or front-top direction","shadow": "gentle drop shadows below and behind objects","highlighting": "mild edge illumination to define forms"},"textures": {"material\_finish": "semi-matte to satin surfaces","surface\_treatment": "smooth with light tactile variation (e.g., wood grain, soft textures)","texture\_realism": "stylized naturalism without hyper-realistic noise"},"render\_quality": {"resolution": "high-resolution octane 3D rendering","edge\_definition": "crisp, no outlines; separation achieved via lighting and depth","visual\_clarity": "clean, readable shapes with minimal clutter"},"color\_palette": {"tone": "naturalistic with slight saturation boost","range": "harmonious muted tones with gentle contrast","usage": "distinct colors per object to improve identification and readability"},"background": {"color": "#FFFFFF","style": "pure white, flat","texture": "none"},"stylistic\_tone": "premium, friendly, clean with lifestyle or service-oriented appeal","icon\_behavior": {"branding\_alignment": "neutral enough for broad applications","scalability": "legible at small and medium sizes","interchangeability": "part of a cohesive icon system with interchangeable subject matter"}}}--

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Design Vision

Airbnb's motivation for Lava was the aspiration to make the app dynamic, lively, and straightforward while ensuring intuitive and brisk performance. By managing both the format and the playback engine, Airbnb ensures each animated icon appears refined and operates consistently.

Final Thoughts

The advent of Lava icons marks a significant leap in UI design, delivering high-definition, lightweight, and visually captivating 3D animations. If Airbnb decides to open-source the Lava encoder and runtime, it would introduce a plethora of opportunities for developers and designers to craft and disseminate nimble Lava icons.

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