iStat Menus 6 app icon

iStat Menus 1 was released May 2007, over a decade ago. Today, we’ve just announced the beta for iStat Menus 6. It’s a massive update we’ve spent years building. If you use iStat Menus, I hope you like it.

It is a pretty strange feeling to work on something for so long. App icons can be challenging, and if I’m being honest, I have really struggled with this one on many occasions. I can’t begin to imagine the cumulative hours I’ve spent on these icons.

We tried to stray from the dial a few times, but kept coming back to it. We also attempted to add more colour to the icon many times, and only finally got that right with iStat Menus 6’s icon. It wasn’t intentional for the needle to keep increasing, but it’s interesting it worked out that way.

The process used for this icon, and the entire iStat suite is documented on our site: My Mac app icon design workflow.

The evolution spans a wide range of time and ability — the first version wasn’t good at all. I am happy with the latest icon though. I feel relieved and relaxed.