In 2002, Panic and the Iconfactory released CandyBar, the first OS X app to bring safe icon customization to Mac users. Now at version 3, this once-tiny app is now an essential tool for anyone interested in giving their Mac a facelift. So to celebrate five years of CandyBar- and four years of MacThemes- we are proud to present a special insider dedicated to one of our favorite Mac applications, the companies behind the solution, as well as the customization world around them.

Dawn of Customization

Jump back seven years ago, to the year 2000- the final days of the classic Mac OS. In a world ruled by the sterile and aging Platinum appearance, having your way with the Mac’s appearance was quite feasible, and resources were plentiful for budding customizers. Long before the Iconfactory’s Sticker System and World of Aqua, there were Candy Hearts and World of Copland, not to mention an abundance of third-party themes thanks to tools like Kaleidoscope. But despite the plethora of freeware gems, it goes without saying that Mac OS 8 and 9 were hardly operating systems for icon creativity; whereas today icon designers are given vast 512×512 canvases for their creations, this was a very different time, with 32×32 sizes and limiting 8-bit alpha channels as the extent of your presentation on the desktop, and forget vector.

Fast forward to 2001. Released in January of that year, Mac OS X 10.0 has been heralded, if not for Apple’s ability to deliver a new OS, for the tremendous leaps in aesthetic creativity. All of the sudden, the technical abilities only available in an icon designer’s dreams were now realities- 128×128 canvases, drop shadows, and transparency (for better or worse). It was great news for designers of application icons. But what about the customizers who made iControl part of their daily lives? Icon customization was difficult even for early adopters, and unless you wanted to permanently modify system or app resources, most users were too afraid to leave Aqua.

Of course, these days of unsafe modifcation didn’t last long. The Iconfactory knew they needed a solution for icon customization, and as established leaders in the field, something was needed to fill the hole that iControl left. So, collaborating with Panic, who had established a name for themselves with the skinnable Audion, a new tool was built to allow total icon flexibility on the Mac once again. And in August 28, 2002, the Panic-Iconfactory Alliance released CandyBar to the world, allowing safe icon changing for the masses once again, as well as blowing open the doors to interface customization.

MacThemes: So how much icon customization was going on back in the 90’s, during the age of the classic Mac OS?

Ged: In the late 90’s and early 2000’s, I think there was a great deal of icon customization going on. Theming on the Mac was really relegated to the excellent app, Kaleidoscope from Greg Landweber and Arlo Rose. At the time it was pretty state-of-the-art and I even did a few Kal schemes myself. Today, I think people are more satisfied with the default icons that come with their operating systems. These new icons are large, have tons of detail and realism in them and people don’t feel as compelled to customize them. Hopefully the Iconfactory still serves as a reminder that they can and should :-).

Cabel: Actually, back then there was almost more customization than we have today — primarily with Kaleidoscope (and before that, “Greg’s Buttons”) really setting the pace. It’s pretty fun to look back at cutting edge interfaces of the late 90’s!

Audion’s contribution to society was to obtain the holy grail of interface design — alpha channeled, semi-transparent interfaces! — through unholy, extremely shifty means. Hey, it worked, mostly!

MacThemes: Over the years, the Iconfactory has developed an extensive collection of iconsets. I’ve noticed your more popular collections are already Leopard-ready; what are your plans for the rest you’ve released throughout the years?

Ged: Unfortunately before about two years ago, all our icon work was done in Adobe Photoshop with raster editing. This “fixed size” work is difficult and time consuming to reproduce well with our new all-vector approach. Some sets like Dave’s World of Aqua series will undoubtedly never be updated for Leopard. Then again, if enough people ask for it, it might be feasible. We’re currently in the process of updating as many sets as we can for Leopard and Vista. Newly updated collections are being added all the time, so I encourage readers to check the Iconfactory often for the latest and greatest.

For more on Kaliedoscope, check out the following article by MacThemes writer Stephanie Torok, “A Look Back at Kaleidoscope”.

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