Bookmark menu bar: replace "bookmark folder icon" with (new) "bookmark folder buttons"

[trippple]

Context: I show the Bookmark toolbar. It rocks. It is loaded with folders (11 total), each with bookmarks associated with a context. It means fewer clicks to more frequently used content. I like short folder names because I don’t need large click-targets but I do want many to show even when the browser is running in a narrower window. I found emojis make excellent short folder names–icons for work , family , hot-topics , tools , new-stuff . The emoji doesn’t even need to be relevant to the topic. I make the association quick and the pictures are easy to spot. Trouble is, all Chromium browsers prepend a folder icon to all bookmark folder names. The icon brings no value to my workflow and takes up twice the space I could use for more awesome folders.

Recommendation: Replace the folder icons with a styling similar to the background change invoked when rolling over a bookmark folder on the bookmark menu bar today. When the mouse rolls over a folder, the background of the folder name darkens. If that style were presented at all times it would delineate individual folders–the same purpose the bulky folder icons serve today. It would make the text function more like a button. The exact style of this new design does not need to match the rollover style. Text titles would appear to be wider buttons. Emoji titles would be more narrow. Strongly recommend forcing a minimum button width regardless of the folder title width.

What does this accomplish?

• eliminate repetitive iconography in a space intended to be searched at a glance.
• lean into hip and clever emoji usage without neglecting traditional alphanumeric uses.
• preserve a decent click space the folder icon provides.

[87213gc]

+1

I also name folders with emojis / emoticons.

It would be awesome if Brave were to support hiding the folder icon in folder names.

Here is a wireframe idea for the UI.

There would perhaps be a need for a visual cue to distinguish folders from bookmarks while folder icons are hidden. Perhaps shading, for example:

In this example there are three folders on the left followed by three bookmarks on the right.

Actually now that I have wireframed the idea, I would simply omit the setting and the old folder icons altogether and go with a consistent folder visual cue versus bookmark, like so:

The difference here is my quick attempt to make the shading under folder names appear to have a paper folder tab look to them, which is best seen in the “Video” folder name.

My spacing in the bookmark examples is perhaps tighter than it should be in reality. Hopefully you get the idea, which is to basically get rid of the folder icon as the visual cue for a folder and replace it with a shading/background visual cue.

Here’s one last example illustration of the idea with much more spacing between folder and bookmark names.

Thanks for considering this idea!

[87213gc]

(post deleted by author)

[caniodica]

This would be great.

Maybe it’s something that doesn’t seem all that important, but it would improve a lot the workflow of users that have a lot of bookmarks folder and are currently using Firefox.

[Bmc1213]

I would love this! I can’t stand looking at those ugly gray folder icons. I prefer words, flavicons, or emojis. Please let us hide them!

[ppo]

+1

Didn’t read everything above, what I have in mind…

Allow to define an icon (emoji) for folders.
Allow to display icon only (with name on hover).

[jaredmeakin]

Is there any progress on this? I’d love to be able to use my own icons for folders. Having the folder icon next to my own is less visually appealing, and adds no direct value in terms of organization.

+1

[bryanb]

I’d love to be able to get rid of the folders in the bookmark bar. Their current 3d/shaded treatment looks dated, they provide some information, but not enough to justify the amount of real estate they take and visual noise they add.

I think Safari does it really well, with small arrows indicating a folder.

[Fuller1754]

Nice use of the word “prepend.”