Why Apple’s new design language is more than aesthetic—and what it means for those crafting tomorrow’s visuals

DOLD Studios
Aug 18
3 min read

Subtitle: Liquid Glass in iOS 26 reframes hierarchy, motion, and brand expression across Apple platforms.

TL:DR

Liquid Glass isn’t just a shiny coat. It’s a system material that behaves like real glass—refracting, reflecting, and responding to light and motion—now used across controls, navigation, widgets, and icons in iOS 26 (and sister platforms). That shift forces designers to think in materials and behaviours, not just colours and shapes.

What Liquid Glass actually is

Liquid Glass is Apple’s new dynamic material. Unlike static blur layers, it:

Refracts the scene behind UI, creating real depth and focus.
Adapts in motion—parallax, tilt, and interaction subtly
change highlights and shadows.
Transforms contextually—tint, dispersion, and clarity adjust to keep content legible.
Scales system-wide—from micro controls (toggles, sliders) to macro structures (tab bars, sidebars, panels), plus a new icon style that can be translucent and layered.

Think of it as moving from decorative chrome to responsive

material. That one shift unlocks new ways to signal hierarchy, state, and affordance with fewer visual crutches.

ches.

Why this is bigger than a facelift

1) Hierarchy through physics

Depth, glare, and deformation give hierarchy without heavy borders. Primary actions can “carry” more optical weight—brighter caustics, tighter highlights—while secondary regions sit in softer, frosted layers.

2) Motion that teaches

Transitions don’t just move; they morph the material. A sheet can compress like a droplet, hinting where it came from and where it’s going. When motion choices match material behaviour, users learn the interface faster.

3) Brand expression without clutter

Because the material itself is expressive, you can reduce colour noise and still feel premium. That’s powerful for brands that want a calm, editorial UI but high perceived quality.

4) Cross‑platform consistency

The same material logic spans iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, tvOS, and visionOS. Visual systems that respect Liquid Glass scale more naturally across devices.

How it behaves (and how to design for it)

Optics:

Refraction & dispersion: Fine detail behind the glass bends and softens. Plan background textures to support, not fight, legibility.
Specular highlights: Small, bright flakes do more than “look shiny.” They anchor attention. Use sparingly for focus and affordance.
Tint & clarity: The system shifts tint/opacity for contrast. Don’t hard‑code text colours; use semantic roles to ride system contrast.

Motion:

Droplet dynamics: Sheets can merge/split like liquid. Pair with easing that accelerates briefly and settles quickly.
Parallax: Subtle tilt highlights reinforce depth. Keep foreground motion restrained so content stays steady.

Structure:

Layering: Think in 3–4 layers max—background image/colour → base canvas → glass surfaces (cards, panels) → content & controls.
Spacing: Increase negative space around glass edges; it helps caustics read and prevents “busy glass.”

What this means for brand and marketing visuals

Premium without noise: You can ship calmer UIs and still feel high‑end—let material expression carry the “delight.”
Motion becomes storytelling: Material‑aware transitions can embody brand traits (assured, playful, calm) better than colour swaps.
Iconography is product design: Treat app icons like small objects with light behaviour, not flat decals.
Cross‑surface coherence: Build one visual system that spans iPhone, iPad, Mac, Watch, TV, and spatial canvases.

Final thought

Great visual systems outlast trends because they translate principles into practice. Liquid Glass is a material shift—and designing with materials forces clarity: what matters most, how it moves, and how it feels across contexts. If we treat it as more than a look, we’ll craft interfaces that feel both alive and effortless.