Lion Finder sidebar color?

It's not just the color.

You can't see any custom icon, even in grey.

I had a small set of folder in my sidebar, each with a custom icon to choose them immediately at a glance, now they have the standard folder icon.

More: if you put an app icon in the sidebar (i.e. a decompression utility or something like that) it will appear with the generic application icon.

The volumes will appear with the generic hard drive icon.

So: what the **** do I need icons anymore? Please remove them, because this way they aren't useful at all.

S*

Candybar still works to change application icons, folder icons, and drive icons. For some reason Lion overrides the icons you try to change in the sidebar. Also I agree with the others and please gives us the ability to re-arrange the sidebar in Finder like in previous versions.

Werner P. wrote:

Actually I personally think, Apple has hired a color blind designer for Lion.

Werner P. wrote:

Actually I personally think, Apple has hired a color blind designer for Lion.

Actually they all have bionic eyes.

Safari has black type on a dark grey background for its tabs.

Thanks ... Ken

I, too, am disturbed and distressed and dismayed by this washing out of color in the GUI. I have to really stop and think all the time, now, to make sure I am clicking on the right button or icon.

And I have been thinking about it some. I wonder if all this change is just a way of prodding us all to move away from the traditional Finder-folder model and instead, adopt Launchpad and other perhaps related additions to the system. Launchpad, you'll notice, is about as colorful as you can get, with big, juicy, distinctive icons. And with apps able to re-open with their last file ready to go, and with Time Machine and with the ability to browse files a la iTunes album covers, and perhaps more, who but power users needs to be working the Finder and its folders and files?

Just a thought.

Still, to me, it all looks quite arbitrary and for-its-own-sake. A severe case of iPod-itis, anyway.

I remember the serious criticisms when OS X apps took on that brushed-steel look, doing away with a much simpler and easier-to-use design. Who knew that was only the first step to Lion's absurd world of gray?

That's a very interesting thought. The paradigm, as I understand it, is that the interface needs to yield to content. So graying everything down is a way to push the interface in the background and make the content that is actually being created or consumed pop.

It's a worthy mandate in my opinion, but the Finder sidebar fails on at least two levels. The biggest problem is that people organize visually by color and shape, so making the sidebar monochromatic actually makes scanning a list much more difficult. The second is that lack of customization means that there can be nothing truly distinctive in the list. If there's one or two things (or more, I guess) that you really want to stand out, a custom icon among the samensss of a long list of like icons makes picking it out easy.

The solution is so simple, too. For those who want the interface to further recede (and I'm sure they're out there), then by all means put all these gray icons in the Graphite skin. The color icons can be part of the Blue skin. Everyone's happy.

Most of you know that Apple doesn't monitor these forums officially. So please go to http://www.apple.com/feedback/ and officially request the feature. And when you're complaining elsewhere, please ask others to submit official feedback, too. I've found color makes identifying my icon/ button placement in toolbars, sidebars and contextual menus much easier. The forums are loaded with good ideas and suggestions for implementation while maintaining personal preference for color versus grey. And this is exactly what I'm about to say to Apple. We mostly love our Apple products for good reasons; they must be listening to some of us, somewhere.

Another vote, that will not be heard, for an option for colored sidebar icons. I never realized how much I relied on them for quick identification until they were gone. Pretty lame not to give us the option.

If someone was able to create a cheap app for this I'd pay.

I have to say that, overall, I don't have any problems with Lion. But I'm becoming more and more frustrated with this gray sidebar. Just this morning I'm poring over my favorites list, trying to pick out an item. It's like there are no visual cues whatsoever. The interface is is so washed out the icons might as well not be there. Where is the utility in that?

Just wanted to highlight Chaitanya's post. I left feedback and it may get their attention if enough people do the same.

I am doing the same, kind of. On my portable I installed it and decided to leave it. On my Mac mini I have decided to wait until the next system update.

Nah they probably decided the big cats can only see in shades of grey, so we should have to do the same 😉

I sent a eedback as well talking about this. Hopefully if more people complain about this in a feedback they might listen.

I have left feedback also on this

but this is the same situation as when iTunes lost it's colour, lots of complaints over that and the colour never came back

as much as I would like them to, I can't see Apple putting the colour back

I think the situation with iTunes is different: you have some time to spare, you want to relax and you don't care much about the colors.

But when I have to get some work done I don't want to stare stupidly in front of the screen trying to realize which icon is which. 😟

H

Totally agree, that seems to be the idea; "we don't need files! hurrah!"

Except for those of us who do.

What's worse, i just noticed that the sidebar in Mail and the Finder are linked. Set the icon size in "General" preferences, and they both change! That's just not designed well, not thought out well.

In Mail, the grey icons serve a purpose - we want to remove attention from the surrounding UI, and concentrate on the content - mails. It works beautifully for Mail.

For the Finder, it's a huge step back in usability. All my bookmarks now look the same so I can't find anything. Devices have been removed and even if added back are dead last, which is bad. New Finder = FAIL.