I know you guys have been waiting a long time for me to write up this guide on customizing your desktop for Mac OSX. For those of you running Windows, check out my Windows Desktop Customization Guide here. 

Now I love to customize everything I can, from my phone to my computer, as well as my Playstation and iPod. I’m known for themeing out desktops and I have been asked countless times to write up a guide for Mac customization ever since I got my Macbook Pro. So here we go! 

First and foremost, this will work for those of you running Snow Leopard. If you’ve upgraded to Lion, like I have, you will notice that some of these resources won’t work. Don’t fret! I have included links to beta versions that do work on Lion OSX. 

Please see screenshot here in order to follow with the directions in this guide!!! 

• For the desktop widgets you see on the upper right corner, I use Geektool. You have to be a little tech savvy with coding and scripts in order to use this. However, if you don’t know commands by heart, here is a list of most commonly used scripts that will help you get by. Essentially, you just drag a shell script onto your desktop and edit it to your liking. If you’re wondering how I got that photo of Mila Kunis on my desktop, it is an image script from Geektool. Just drag “image” from GeekTool onto your desktop and then select your image in the path bar. 

• At the bottom right corner, I have a widget that displays what song I’m currently listening to. For that, I use Bowtie. The name of the theme I’m using is Passerby Right.

• Now onto the chat client. Many Mac users use the default iChat for communicating via instant messengers with friends and family. Although there is nothing wrong with that fine little program, I prefer to use Adium. You can customize everything, including the dock icon, menu bar icon, status icons, messaging styles, contact lists, emoticons, and messaging styles. 

• Dock: For my dock, I use Candybar. I can customize almost any program, folder, and system icons, as well as change up my dock with different themes. In my screenshot, I have switched to the simple dock because it is more aesthetically pleasing with my desktop. For icons and themes, check out some of the inspiration resources below. Note: Candybar is a paid app, but you do get a 30 day free trial. 

Resources:

• Geektool Beta (For Lion OSX)
• Bowtie Beta (For Lion OSX)
• Adium
• Candybar
• Bowtie
• Geektool

Inspiration:

• Digital Vanity
• deviantArt
• Beautiful Pixels
• Prettify*
• InterfaceLift
• Simple Desktops

Some more experienced and advanced Mac themers use Dragthing, Shapeshifter, or other programs to enhance their desktops. I have not included these resources because the name of this guide is Desktop Customization for Dummies. I don’t want to make your heads explode. :) 

Hope this guide was helpful, I tried to keep it simple yet detailed. If you have any questions feel free to visit my website and contact me, either via ask box or email. 

- TheDailyCrazy