Maeda's SIMPLICITY

Data Dyeing

File folder as window shade.

In 1984, I recall a certain unease with the then new idea called the "Desktop Metaphor." At the time I was just a high school student and hadn't yet been initiated into the world of complex document systems. Frankly, the folder icon didn't make all that much sense to me. I really didn't know what the icon attempted to represent.

When the Mac transitioned into the world of color computing from simply black and white, one of the great interface achievements in my mind was the ability to color files in a set of standard shades. You could then set different files to be 'red' that were urgent and so forth. The Mac was sophisticated enough to overlay a simple tinge of color so that you could still identify the underlying icon.

Then there came those years of transition in the Mac interface to the world of OS X. When the new Aqua interface arrived, I couldn't believe that Apple had overlooked their most important desktop filing capability—the ability to use color as an organizing principle for your desktop. Sure, new whiz-bang search features from the desktop were great and all the new ways for windows to ninja their way onto the screen was exciting ... but I just wanted to easily make my folders and documents a specific color.

The latest version of the OS X interface does support coloration of folders and files to a minor extent—the color highlight is shown in the file or folder's name. In the old days the Mac would colorize the icon with often hideous results. Probably some design war occured in Apple to try to preserve the sanctity of existing icons and to not allow intrusive color overlays onto icons. As you may know, I have no problem with hideous results, as long as they communicate better. I hope that Apple re-enables colorized icons. Their engineers have wasted so much CPU time on all the other ridiculous special effects on the desktop; I'd prefer that they put a little CPU time into things that are truly necessary.

In the physical world you can bet that I file all of my paper documents in a system of colored folders. With my P-touch in hand, I label and organize my life in perfect harmony. Yellow refers to things related to academics, green refers to things related to nonsense information, purple refers to ongoing projects, brown refers to my research group, and so forth. If Benetton were to ever sell a line of file folders I could easily be convinced to change over to their system because I just can't get enough color in my file folders.

At ID the other day, I quietly visited their lavatory facilities to discover an oddly shaped restroom where an unstrategically placed window opened to a view from the adjacent building. I was immediately charmed to see that someone had jury-rigged a window shade out of a red file folder. What better way to design an editorial office than out of organizational products for paper? What is it that they say? Form follows function? I was treated to the quintessential essence of design in the office of a prestigious design magazine. New York welcomed me in her inimitable way.

Sean Durham of California and Matthew Gifford of Vancouver independently suggest Labels X by a company called Unsanity which seems to remedy my situation. Unfortunately I am somewhat paranoid of installing any extras onto my computer as I remember the old days in OS 9 when after installing tons of init/cdevs my computer would become as speedy as an Apple II. Daniel Wilson from my hometown of Seattle suggests an alternative desktop viewer called Path Finder which displays color labels slightly differently than the normal Finder. In either case of Labels X or Path Finder, I haven't the slightest idea how people have the time to make these kinds of software packages. Shareware authors are kewl.

Posted by maeda at February 20, 2005 12:38 AM