Aqua (user Interface) - User Interface

User Interface

White and blue are two principal colors which define the Aqua style. Title bars, window backgrounds, buttons, menus and other interface elements are all found in white, and some, like scrollbars and menu items, are accented with a shade of blue. Most of the interface elements have a "glass" or "gel" effect applied to them; for instance, David Pogue described the original Aqua scrollbars as "lickable globs of Crest Berrylicious Toothpaste Gel".

Mac OS X also allows users to choose a Graphite version instead of a Blue version of the interface. When using the Graphite scheme, controls appear grey rather than blue or multicolored. For example, the title bar controls become three grey balls rather than traffic lights. This color scheme was added at the behest of developers and users who found the blue scheme to be too garish or unprofessional.