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Glass has been part of interfaces for decades. Aqua had gloss. Aero had translucency and blur. Liquid Glass feels like something else. It bends light, moves with content, and brings depth in a new way. It might look like we’ve been here before, but we haven’t.

One of the things I’ve loved most about designing macOS icons is how they let you break the frame. A blade, a pencil, a petal. Something reaching out. With Tahoe, that era is behind us. Here are a few I’ve made over the years.

I think I preferred the contrast and detail on the Catalina System Settings icon. What do you think?

Goodbye little pen.

Really liking the new macOS Tahoe folders. The shape feels like a solid evolution, and the customisability is a very welcome change.

“We’ve had glass UI before. It’s just the same old thing.” Liquid glass: bending light into a prism flare along a refractive edge.

We used to be cultured.

Those rainbow edges in iOS 26? Simulated thin-film interference. Glass on glass—just like the real thing.

One of the reasons the new Tahoe icons can feel “blurry” is the uniform specular highlight applied across all layers. On lighter backgrounds, it reduces contrast and muddies detail. It’s a good example of how hard it is to apply a single visual effect consistently across a big

The Preview app icon has been on quite a journey. How are we feeling about the new one?

Tried a more colorful and transparent take on the Photos icon. Would have been fun to see Apple lean into this stained glass aesthetic. Transparent background, full-color foreground.