The Breakroom

Roll Out the Barrel!

August 3, 2006

By Webmaster

We are now officially at launch day plus 2 and we just wanted to say thank you to all of you who have taken time to send us your incredible feedback on the new site. We are all gratified by your unadulterated love for the new site’s design, functionality and content. You like us! You really, really like us! :-)

It does seem however that many people missed a few parts of our 6 day animation sequence so we thought we’d direct you once again to our new File Directory that contains not only the 6 individual days of animations leading up to the launch, but all 70 of the original IF 5.0 warehouse animations as well.

Stay tuned folks as we head into the future with new icons, new desktop pictures, iPulse jackets, software and a few surprises along the way. The best is yet to come, so be sure to tag along for the ride!

Welcome to Iconfactory.com v.6.0!

August 1, 2006

By Webmaster

Preview

Welcome one and all as we celebrate our 10th anniversary with the launch of all-new versions of Iconfactory.com and Stockicons.com. Over 2 years in design and development, the new sites have been rebuilt from the ground up using Ruby on Rails and are now hosted on Apple’s xServe platform. These two sites boast many new features and a wealth of new or revised content. Those familiar with our old site will find a pleasing new color scheme and layout, enhanced site navigation, extensive support items and much, much more. If you are a first timer, then we extend a warm welcome and hope you’ll keep visiting again and again!

Here are just some of the new things that await you as you browse the new Iconfactory.com:

  • An all new, expansive CandyBar system replacement icon set from artist David Lanham – Amora. Unlike any freeware icon collection we’ve previously produced, Amora will help make your computer into a slick, futuristic landscape full of techno-surprises. An accompanying Macintosh Shapeshifter theme can be found at dlanham.com.
  • Our sister site, the Deskstop has joined the Iconfactory so we now offer free, custom desktop pictures as well as icons. New desktop pictures from artist Mindy Weaver will appeal to Mac and Windows users alike.
  • A fun and free Dashboard widget for Mac OS X that helps you decide where to eat out – Dine-O-Matic. Enter your favorite eateries and their associated cuisine styles and then let the food fates decide where to go!
  • All 250+ of our freeware icon sets are now available as Pixadex iContainers and Windows ICO files as well as standard Mac icons.
  • Our downloadable content now uses .dmg (disk images) exclusively for our Mac OS X users and .zip files for our Windows users.
  • RSS Feeds for Iconfactory content and industry news links.
  • Content and support items can be queried using keywords or similarity.
  • Customizable preferences let you control site preview sizes and more.
  • Fully compliant with W3C standards using CSS 2.0 & XHTML 1.0.

Stockicons.com also receives the makeover treatment and the new design makes finding and purchasing the perfect icon style for your project easier than ever. Several new stock icon sets have been added for the site’s launch so we invite you to visit and download samples today.

Long time visitors to the Iconfactory undoubtedly will notice content such as the factory warehouse animations and the Deskbase have gone missing. While the animations have indeed been put out to pasture, we are pleased to announce that for the first time, all 70 of them are now available via our new File Directory. Hop on over and take a look. As for the Deskbase, we hope to bring it back at some point in the future.

Today we invite you to help us celebrate a decade of creativity and service to the Macintosh and Windows based icon community. We look forward to your thoughts and feedback on the new design, the expanded content and anything else you care to tell us about. More surprises are in store in the weeks ahead, so don’t go away, things are just heating up. Welcome one and all!

Leopard Fake Screen Shot Winners Announced

July 26, 2006

By Webmaster

After an intense round of judging by Gedeon and a host of other judges from the online Macintosh community, blogger Phil Ryu has posted the winners in the Fake Leopard Screen Shot contest. Entries showcased a range of ideas for the new OS as well as some fresh and clever new takes on the user interface in general. Head on over to take a look at the winners and runners-up and read what the judges had to say about each. Now its time for the real thing!

The Future Is Amora

July 22, 2006

By Webmaster

Preview

We are pleased to bring you the latest incredible set of system replacement icons from resident icon artist David Lanham. Amora is a highly detailed and imaginative set of over 120 system and application replacements that conjures images of the future both wondrous and disturbing. David has been fine tuning this set for months and the results show in the attention to detail as well as its crisp desktop appearance. Amora works wonders with CandyBar, but also contains 26 application icons that can be easily accessed via Pixadex.

David has also completed an accompanying Mac OS X Shapeshifter theme over at dlanham.com that will help GUI freaks completely transform their desktops and prepare for the imminent robotic take-over. We invite you to download Amora and check it out for yourself today, you won’t be disappointed.

Something’s Coming…

July 20, 2006

By Webmaster

You may have noticed a slight decrease in the output of freeware goodies from the workers these last few weeks. There is a reason for that as you will see starting next week. We’re reminded of an exchange between HAL and Bowman from 2010: The Year We Make Contact:

“I’m afraid Dave.”

“Don’t be. Something is going to happen.”

“What is going to happen Dave?”

“Something… wonderful!”

“Elegant and beautiful…”

July 19, 2006

By Webmaster

We wanted to take a moment to mention an outstanding review of our Mac OS X monitoring utility iPulse, posted over at Skinyourscreen.com. While the review touches on the many aspects of iPulse that let you keep tabs on what OS X is doing, it also digs deep into iPulse’s other major attraction, jackets.

Unlike similar monitoring applications, iPulse’s ability to be visually customized is unmatched, yet rarely mentioned among online reviews. We’re pleased that someone has finally “gotten it” when it comes to iPulse’s concise user interface. If you’ve always wondered what makes iPulse stand heads above the competition, look no further. We encourage you to head over and check it out.

Want to Say Hi?

July 17, 2006

By Webmaster

Corey and Craig will be making the annual pilgrimage to San Francisco for Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference on August 6th to marvel at the upcoming wonders of Leopard. While Craig is busy absorbing all the new info about Apple’s latest, Corey will be roaming the halls and talking to developers about icon design. If you plan to be there and want to say hello drop us a note or look for us on iChat (account name: iconfactory) at the conference. Engage Reality Distortion Field!

Changing Leopard’s Spots

July 10, 2006

By Webmaster

Preview

Mac developer and friend of the Iconfactory, Phill Ryu, has announced a new and original contest over at his recently launched blog. The ‘Fake Leopard Screenshot Contest’ promises to showcase fun and wishful ideas for Apple’s upcoming operating system release, Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard).

To help the Mac community get in the spirit of the contest, Phil has garnered almost $1000 worth of prizes from a host of developers including the Iconfactory and Stockicons.com. The entry deadline is 12pm EST on Saturday, July 22nd, which gives hopefuls just 12 days to get their pen and paintbrush tools shaking. Winners will be decided by a panel of judges including our very own Gedeon Maheux and will be judged on believability, creativity and the “insanely great” factor on 10 point scale.

Winners will be announced on Monday, July 24th, and given the creativity and ingenuity of Mac users, we’re sure to be in for some amazing, crazy stuff! Contest details as well as the complete prize list can be found over at Phill’s blog, so be sure to check it out. Have fun everyone!

Back to the Futurama!

June 23, 2006

By Webmaster

You just can’t keep a good robot down! That appears to be the skinny out of Hollywood this morning as several sources are reporting that Comedy Central has agreed to order thirteen new episodes of Fox’s cult hit Futurama. Although canceled several years ago (before its time we might add), the show has gained popularity once again through its nightly showings on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim and its successful DVD sales. No one is happier about this than Gedeon as his Futurama icon sets have been a fan favorite since their release. With any luck, we’ll all be crowding around the TV to watch Fry, Leela and Bender in new adventures before you can say “Bite my shiny metal ass!”.

Look, Up in the Sky!

June 21, 2006

By Webmaster

Preview

“Its a bird! Its a plane! Its Superman!” With the upcoming release of Brian Singer’s new epic film, Superman Returns, we thought the time was right for an all new picture to bring the Man of Steel to your desktop. Artist and Foreman, Gedeon Maheux, brings the Big Guy to life in this dramatic image from Superman the Animated Series to help guard your files. Enjoy, and see you at the movies!