Iconfactory Blog
blog.iconfactory.com · Company blog · on HN since 2015
The Iconfactory, a Mac and iOS design and software studio, writes about its apps like Twitterrific and Tot, and Apple platforms.
What HN saysHN links it for news on Twitter's API shutdown for third-party clients, plus posts on color management, icon tools, and Apple's Marzipan.
45HN people shared it
13linked it in comments
34stories submitted
673story points
1 year agolast shared
2015people per year2026
Most-shared posts
- 1What to Expect from Marzipan5 people · 179 points · first shared 2019 · 144 comments on HN
- 2iPad Pro True Tone: Looking at the Future5 people · 7 points · first shared 2016 · discussion on HN
- 3State of the Twitterverse4 people · 5 points · first shared 2023 · discussion on HN
- 4WorldWideWeb.app3 people · 293 points · first shared 2022 · 93 comments on HN
- 5Meet Tot – Your Tiny Text Companion3 people · 1 points · first shared 2020 · discussion on HN
- 6A Lot Can Happen in a Decade2 people · 29 points · first shared 2018 · 1 comments on HN
- 7Twitterrific Has Been Discontinued2 people · 10 points · first shared 2023 · discussion on HN
- 8Push Nope-ifications2 people · 4 points · first shared 2018 · discussion on HN
- 9Notches Gone Wild1 people · 120 points · first shared 2021 · 51 comments on HN
- 10The New Favicon1 people · 4 points · first shared 2015 · discussion on HN
- 11Twitterrific for Mac: Project Phoenix1 people · 3 points · first shared 2017 · discussion on HN
- 12Introducing Twitterrific for macOS1 people · 3 points · first shared 2017 · discussion on HN
- 13Enter Tapestry1 people · 2 points · first shared 2025 · 1 comments on HN
- 14Introducing Twitterrific (2007)1 people · 2 points · first shared 2023 · discussion on HN
- 15Twitterrific Subscriptions Going Well1 people · 1 points · first shared 2019 · discussion on HN
What HN people wrote when they linked it
BoomerOK · 2023-02-10
Love the Iconfactory icons. My favourite is the Arcade Daze series: https://freeware.iconfactory.com/preview/adsy
Iconfactory also updated their icon manager, CandyBar, to work with Apple Silicon.
https://blog.iconfactory.com/2022/04/candybar-sugar-free-edition/
terhechte · 2023-01-17
Context for those not following: Twitter has silently shut down their API for many third party clients without any communication. Companies with apps that have been using the API for 15+ years are left in the dark:
https://blog.iconfactory.com/2023/01/state-of-the-twitterverse/
neogodless · 2019-05-29
This title put me into one mindset, which was not at all the right one for the article. At least, I don't think so. I think there exists interaction outside of the Apple ecosystem.
First, I think you probably have to have read and understood this prerequisite article about Marzipan - https://blog.iconfactory.com/2019/05/what-to-expect-from-marzipan/
Then, you probably have to live, breathe and dream within the Apple ecosystem.
Then you can read this article about plans and musings about what might come to pass, particularly with Apple's plans to enter augmented reality (AR).
I would suggest that we will not correctly predict the "future" of interaction until it becomes the present, but I do think thoughtful attempts to create great new experiences through technology are interesting.
ghiculescu · 2019-01-30
Also worth noting that he just launched a competing ad network: https://blog.iconfactory.com/2019/01/advertising-with-ollie/
josh-wrale · 2017-02-25
Thanks for the link @wmf.
I took a look at the front page of iconfactory.com which is the site where the book author posted this:
http://blog.iconfactory.com/2016/12/making-sense-of-color-management/
It looks like they aren't demonstrating a least common denominator fix there. This is understandable, as least common denominator probably doesn't look great for most modern icons.
Took this screenshot:
http://imgur.com/a/mNxJo
Might still buy the book. Just did the screenshot as a quick study.
mattparcher · 2016-04-22
Also see Craig Hockenberry piece, for more on the implications of all this for developers and designers: http://blog.iconfactory.com/2016/04/looking-at-the-future/
One of his key points: As a developer, you’ll quickly realize that the scope of these changes will make your update to Retina graphics look like a walk in the park.
Craig is also currently working on a book “that helps you understand color in laymen’s terms, use color management with step-by-step instructions for popular apps like Photoshop, and guides you with the work necessary to create great looking web and native apps.”
sashk · 2025-03-31
Reminds me Tot by IconFactory. https://blog.iconfactory.com/2020/02/meet-tot-your-tiny-text-companion…
dagw · 2023-01-20
Link to actual announcement on their site https://blog.iconfactory.com/2023/01/twitterrific-end-of-an-era/
lexandstuff · 2023-01-19
They said that in the opening paragraph: "We are sorry to say that the app's sudden and undignified demise is due to an unannounced and undocumented policy change by an increasingly capricious Twitter". That sentence links to this post which explains in more detail what happened: https://blog.iconfactory.com/2023/01/state-of-the-twitterverse/
Kwpolska · 2023-01-15
Can a “temporary outage” be limited only to the most popular apps? Can a “temporary outage” affect Twitterrific for iOS but not Twitterrific for Mac [0]?
[0] https://blog.iconfactory.com/2023/01/state-of-the-twitterverse/
fitzroy · 2021-04-29
A sequel is coming to Apple Arcade:
https://blog.iconfactory.com/2021/04/frenzic-overtime-coming-soon-to-a…
machello13 · 2020-03-27
Your app seems really similar to Tot by Iconfactory:
https://blog.iconfactory.com/2020/02/meet-tot-your-tiny-text-companion…
That could be the reason you're seeing sales drop?
dmitriid · 2019-06-03
"A rose by any other name would smell as Marzipan". Even if it's called SwiftUI and not Marzipan, it still has all the same future problems as when it was called Marzipan [1]
[1] https://blog.iconfactory.com/2019/05/what-to-expect-from-marzipan/