ICONS IN MENUS EVERYWHERE

Summary from the TLDR Design newsletter

The proliferation of icons in menu items across applications like Google Sheets and the new macOS Tahoe creates unnecessary visual noise and cognitive load without a clear rationale for which items receive icons. Apple's approach contradicts its own historical Human Interface Guidelines from 1992 to 2020, which warned against arbitrary symbols in menus, causing confusion and visual clutter. While some icons prove useful—like Finder's window arrangement symbols that instantly communicate layout—the default practice of adding icons everywhere lacks the thoughtful consideration needed for each use case.