diff --git a/Cargo.toml b/Cargo.toml
index 5af9b44..0cfef68 100644
--- a/Cargo.toml
+++ b/Cargo.toml
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ nom = "5.0.0"
 colored = "1.8"
 ansi_term = "0.11.0"
 hexdump = "0.1.0"
-sdl2 = "0.32.2"
+sdl2 = {version = "0.32.2", features = ["image"]}
 minifb = "0.11.2"
 time = "0.1.42"
 bitfield = "0.13.1"
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 167f7e9..b07ce69 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -2,6 +2,8 @@
 
 [![Build Status](https://travis-ci.com/michelhe/rustboyadvance-ng.svg?branch=master)](https://travis-ci.com/michelhe/rustboyadvance-ng)
 
+![icon ](assets/icon.png)
+
 RustBoyAdvance-NG Nintendo GameBoy Advance emulator and debugger, written in the rust programming language.
 
 Currently passing armwrestler tests, and displays some of TONC's Demos.
diff --git a/assets/icon.png b/assets/icon.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..568b524
Binary files /dev/null and b/assets/icon.png differ
diff --git a/src/plat/sdl2/main.rs b/src/plat/sdl2/main.rs
index 5db6020..d13f036 100644
--- a/src/plat/sdl2/main.rs
+++ b/src/plat/sdl2/main.rs
@@ -1,6 +1,9 @@
 extern crate sdl2;
 use sdl2::event::Event;
+use sdl2::image::{InitFlag, LoadTexture};
 use sdl2::keyboard::Keycode;
+use sdl2::pixels::Color;
+use sdl2::rect::Rect;
 use sdl2::EventPump;
 
 extern crate spin_sleep;
@@ -52,10 +55,11 @@ fn main() {
 
     let debug = matches.occurrences_of("debug") != 0;
 
-    let sdl_context = sdl2::init().unwrap();
+    let sdl_context = sdl2::init().expect("failed to initialize sdl2");
     let mut event_pump = sdl_context.event_pump().unwrap();
 
     let video_subsystem = sdl_context.video().unwrap();
+    let _image_context = sdl2::image::init(InitFlag::PNG | InitFlag::JPG).unwrap();
     let window = video_subsystem
         .window(
             "RustBoyAdvance",
@@ -66,7 +70,27 @@ fn main() {
         .position_centered()
         .build()
         .unwrap();
-    let video = Rc::new(RefCell::new(create_video_interface(window)));
+    let mut canvas = window.into_canvas().accelerated().build().unwrap();
+
+    // Display the icon as a placeholder
+    canvas.set_draw_color(Color::RGB(0x80, 0x75, 0x85)); // default background color for the icon
+    canvas.clear();
+    let texture_creator = canvas.texture_creator();
+    let icon_texture = texture_creator
+        .load_texture("assets/icon.png")
+        .expect("failed to load icon");
+    canvas
+        .copy(
+            &icon_texture,
+            None,
+            Some(Rect::new(0, 0, SCREEN_WIDTH * SCALE, SCREEN_HEIGHT * SCALE)),
+        )
+        .unwrap();
+    canvas.present();
+
+    // TODO also set window icon
+
+    let video = Rc::new(RefCell::new(create_video_interface(canvas)));
     let audio = Rc::new(RefCell::new(create_audio_player(&sdl_context)));
     let input = Rc::new(RefCell::new(create_input()));
 
diff --git a/src/plat/sdl2/video.rs b/src/plat/sdl2/video.rs
index ed78983..99164e9 100644
--- a/src/plat/sdl2/video.rs
+++ b/src/plat/sdl2/video.rs
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
-use sdl2::pixels::{Color, PixelFormatEnum};
+use sdl2::pixels::PixelFormatEnum;
 use sdl2::rect::Rect;
 use sdl2::render::{Texture, TextureCreator, WindowCanvas};
-use sdl2::video::{Window, WindowContext};
+use sdl2::video::WindowContext;
 
 use rustboyadvance_ng::core::gpu::{DISPLAY_HEIGHT, DISPLAY_WIDTH};
 use rustboyadvance_ng::VideoInterface;
@@ -42,11 +42,7 @@ impl<'a> VideoInterface for Sdl2Video<'a> {
     }
 }
 
-pub fn create_video_interface<'a>(window: Window) -> Sdl2Video<'a> {
-    let mut canvas = window.into_canvas().accelerated().build().unwrap();
-    canvas.set_draw_color(Color::RGB(0, 0, 0));
-    canvas.clear();
-    canvas.present();
+pub fn create_video_interface<'a>(canvas: WindowCanvas) -> Sdl2Video<'a> {
     let mut tc = canvas.texture_creator();
     let texture = unsafe {
         let tc_ptr = &mut tc as *mut TextureCreator<WindowContext>;