diff --git a/src/components/TopicTypeIcon.vue b/src/components/TopicTypeIcon.vue
index 445429caf..49d2ace33 100644
--- a/src/components/TopicTypeIcon.vue
+++ b/src/components/TopicTypeIcon.vue
@@ -11,7 +11,10 @@
 <template>
   <div
     class="TopicTypeIcon"
+    :class="{ 'navigator-icon': true, 'colorful-navigator-icon': shouldUseColorfulIcons && hasSymbolText }"
     :style="styles"
+    :data-color-variant="colorVariant"
+    :data-symbol-text="symbolText"
   >
     <OverridableAsset
       v-if="imageOverride"
@@ -110,6 +113,10 @@ export default {
       type: Boolean,
       default: false,
     },
+    enableColorfulIcons: {
+      type: Boolean,
+      default: true,
+    },
     imageOverride: {
       type: Object,
       default: null,
@@ -124,6 +131,57 @@ export default {
     icon: ({ normalisedType }) => TopicTypeIcons[normalisedType] || CollectionIcon,
     iconProps: ({ normalisedType }) => TopicTypeProps[normalisedType] || {},
     color: ({ normalisedType }) => HeroColorsMap[normalisedType],
+    shouldUseColorfulIcons() {
+      return this.enableColorfulIcons;
+    },
+    /**
+     * Returns the symbol text to display in colorful icon mode.
+     * Only symbols with explicit text definitions (from TopicTypeProps) are colorized.
+     * Decorative icons (articles, collections, etc.) remain unchanged.
+     */
+    symbolText() {
+      if (!this.shouldUseColorfulIcons) return null;
+
+      const props = this.iconProps;
+      if (props.symbol) {
+        return props.symbol;
+      }
+      if (props.first && props.second) {
+        return props.first + props.second;
+      }
+
+      return '';
+    },
+    hasSymbolText() {
+      return this.symbolText && this.symbolText.length > 0;
+    },
+    /**
+     * Determines the background color variant based on the symbol text.
+     * Color mapping follows Apple's SF Symbols conventions.
+     */
+    colorVariant() {
+      if (!this.shouldUseColorfulIcons || !this.hasSymbolText) return null;
+
+      const text = this.symbolText.toUpperCase();
+
+      // Purple: Structures, Classes, Protocols
+      if (['S', 'C', 'PR'].includes(text)) return 'purple';
+
+      // Blue: Methods
+      if (text === 'M') return 'blue';
+
+      // Mint: Properties
+      if (text === 'P') return 'mint';
+
+      // Orange: Types, Enums
+      if (['T', 'E'].includes(text)) return 'orange';
+
+      // Red: Macros
+      if (text === '#') return 'red';
+
+      // Green: Default
+      return 'green';
+    },
     styles: ({
       color,
       withColors,
@@ -132,14 +190,77 @@ export default {
 };
 </script>
 
-<style scoped lang='scss'>
+<style lang='scss'>
 @import 'docc-render/styles/_core.scss';
 
+/**
+ * Colorful Navigator Icons
+ *
+ * Provides colorful, rounded icon badges for symbol types in the navigator.
+ * Inspired by Xcode's documentation rendering and SF Symbols design language.
+ *
+ * Features:
+ * - System font fallback for SF Pro Rounded
+ * - Color variants based on symbol type (purple, blue, mint, orange, red, green)
+ * - Automatic light/dark mode color adjustment
+ * - Only applied to symbols with text (classes, structs, methods, etc.)
+ * - Decorative icons (articles, collections) remain unchanged
+ */
+
+// System font with SF Pro Rounded fallback
+@font-face {
+  font-family: 'SF Pro Rounded';
+  src: local('SF Pro Rounded'), local('SF Pro Display');
+  font-weight: bold;
+  font-style: normal;
+}
+
+// Color palette for colorful icons
+:root {
+  // Light mode colors
+  --systemOrange-light: #ff9500;
+  --systemPurple-light: #cc54da;
+  --systemBlue-light: #0f7dfa;
+  --systemMint-light: #00c1d9;
+  --systemRed-light: #ec4425;
+  --systemGreen-light: #34c759;
+
+  // Dark mode colors
+  --systemOrange-dark: #ff9f0a;
+  --systemPurple-dark: #bf5af2;
+  --systemBlue-dark: #0a84ff;
+  --systemMint-dark: #27c7d6;
+  --systemRed-dark: #ff453a;
+  --systemGreen-dark: #30d158;
+
+  // Active colors (default to light mode)
+  --systemOrange: var(--systemOrange-light);
+  --systemPurple: var(--systemPurple-light);
+  --systemBlue: var(--systemBlue-light);
+  --systemMint: var(--systemMint-light);
+  --systemRed: var(--systemRed-light);
+  --systemGreen: var(--systemGreen-light);
+}
+
+// Switch to dark mode colors
+@media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) {
+  :root {
+    --systemOrange: var(--systemOrange-dark);
+    --systemPurple: var(--systemPurple-dark);
+    --systemBlue: var(--systemBlue-dark);
+    --systemMint: var(--systemMint-dark);
+    --systemRed: var(--systemRed-dark);
+    --systemGreen: var(--systemGreen-dark);
+  }
+}
+</style>
+
+<style scoped lang='scss'>
+
 .TopicTypeIcon {
   width: 1em;
   height: 1em;
   flex: 0 0 auto;
-  // use the `--icon-color` if `withColors` is true, otherwise just use gray.
   color: var(--icon-color, var(--color-figure-gray-secondary));
 
   :deep(picture) {
@@ -151,5 +272,48 @@ export default {
     width: 100%;
     height: 100%;
   }
+
+  /**
+   * Colorful icon badge styling
+   * Applied only to symbols with text (classes, structs, methods, etc.)
+   */
+  &.colorful-navigator-icon {
+    width: 18px;
+    min-width: 18px;
+    height: 18px;
+    padding: 2px 4px;
+    border-radius: 4px;
+    background-color: var(--systemGreen);
+
+    display: inline-flex;
+    align-items: center;
+    justify-content: center;
+    box-sizing: border-box;
+    vertical-align: middle;
+
+    font-family: 'SF Pro Rounded', 'SF Pro Display', -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, system-ui, sans-serif;
+    font-weight: 700;
+    font-size: 12px;
+    line-height: 1;
+    color: white;
+
+    // Hide the original SVG icon
+    svg {
+      display: none;
+    }
+
+    // Display symbol text via pseudo-element
+    &::after {
+      content: attr(data-symbol-text);
+    }
+
+    // Color variants based on symbol type
+    &[data-color-variant="purple"] { background-color: var(--systemPurple); }
+    &[data-color-variant="blue"]   { background-color: var(--systemBlue); }
+    &[data-color-variant="mint"]   { background-color: var(--systemMint); }
+    &[data-color-variant="orange"] { background-color: var(--systemOrange); }
+    &[data-color-variant="red"]    { background-color: var(--systemRed); }
+    &[data-color-variant="green"]  { background-color: var(--systemGreen); }
+  }
 }
 </style>