Thoughts on the New iTunes Icon

September 2, 2010 in Icons Reviews 2 Comments

Yesterday Steve unveiled the new iPod lineup, a completely revamped Apple TV and unsurprisingly a new iTunes with social networking capabilities and a brand new logo*.

Like many of you, I am not sure Apple is going the right direction with this redesign. Of course, it would be silly to argue that the new icon is horrible, because frankly, it is not (Windows icons anyone?). I won’t go as far as looking into the stylistic details neither; why keep the same old musical note for an application that can manage e-books and movies goes way beyond my grasp. But that’s not my point: It’s the departure from Apple’s own HIG (Human Interface Guidelines) for OSX that shocked me the most.

You don’t need to be a designer to notice that the icon is standing out among other Apple applications (iChat is an exception that confirms the rule). Where is the realism Apple got us used to? Where is perspective? Details? And If they decided to drop the CD in the iTunes icon, then why would they keep the ink for Pages and the compass for Safari? Could it be the new direction Apple will be taking for all its future icon redesigns? Hope not.

Bottom line, unless Apple redesigns all its default OSX icons, or resurrects the old icon in a 10.0.1 update, I think their interface design consistency could be seriously put into question.

(*) I would like to point out that it is safer to call it an icon rather than a logo. After all, its main function will be representing an application on a digital device; what we came to know as icons.

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  • http://twitter.com/dpwalsh Dan Walsh

    Great post!

    I’ve never been a fan of the iTunes logo, but I think it USED to do a good job representing it’s function. You’re right, it’s a bit odd to keep the musical note now that iTunes does so much more than that… but then why not change the name as well? I’d wager Steve & Co. are shooting for a transitional rebranding, although, no reason they couldn’t have just changed the name this time out.

    I have to admit I’m not familiar with Apples HIG (new bedtime reading!), but I can see how having an icon stand far apart from its peers could be problematic.

    I like the new design overall, and am glad they did away with the CD. The technology is being used less and less, and beside from ripping or burning the occasional disc, iTunes doesn’t really do anything with them anymore. True, no one aside from calligraphers use bottled ink anymore, and GPS has overtaken compasses, but these technologies are so old that they can act as metaphorical symbols - as ideas. The CD was an actual THING, and its inclusion in the icon was a direct relationship to how the user interacted with the iTunes software.

    Do I love the icon? No. Do I think it’s an improvement? Most definitely.

  • http://www.kaishinlab.com Kaishin

    Hi Dan!
    Thanks for dropping by!
    Indeed, the icon might be better than the previous, but it’s the fact that it stands out that bothers me the most. The good news is that changing application icons on mac is a breeze.
    I also get your point concerning the CD not being as metaphorical as the other icons, yet

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