A Polarising Vision That Just Took Home Gold
Liquid Glass was introduced as Apple’s sweeping visual overhaul for iOS, iPadOS, and macOS, and it has split opinion ever since. Many users complain about readability, especially on the Mac, where translucent panes and layered shadows can make interface text hard to see against bright backgrounds. Despite that backlash, Apple’s in-house design team just scored a Gold Cube at the Art Directors Club of New York awards for the Liquid Glass design language, one of six Gold Cubes Apple collected this year. In its award pitch, Apple framed Liquid Glass as a holistic reimagining of how software should look, feel, and work, emphasizing simplicity, clarity, and efficiency, plus refined typography and expressive iconography. That professional recognition sends a clear signal: while some users remain unconvinced, the design community sees Liquid Glass as a bold, coherent evolution of Apple’s platforms.
Why macOS Bears the Brunt of Liquid Glass Criticism
Among all platforms, the Mac has become the focal point of Liquid Glass frustration. On macOS, semi-transparent panels like Control Center can blur into whatever sits beneath them, making labels hard to read when they float over a white document or bright webpage. Reports suggest this is exacerbated by the diversity of Mac displays: most Macs still rely on LCD or mini‑LED panels, while the iPhone, Apple Watch, and some iPads use OLED, where Apple’s glassy effects reportedly fare better. That hardware mismatch helps explain why the same Liquid Glass design feels more legible on handheld devices and more problematic on desktops and laptops. Apple is working on an OLED MacBook, which may improve the visual effect for future buyers, but it will not solve the experience for the many existing Macs already running the Liquid Glass design every day.
macOS 27 Interface: Iteration, Not Overhaul
With macOS 27, Apple is not ripping out Liquid Glass; it is tuning it. Reports ahead of WWDC say the macOS 27 interface will bring a “slight redesign” to Liquid Glass, focused on recalibrating shadows and transparency across the system. The goal is straightforward: fix readability issues without abandoning the aesthetic that now unifies Apple’s platforms. Apple has followed this pattern before, softening the glossy Aqua look in early Mac OS X and gradually clarifying the flat design introduced in iOS 7. The macOS 27 update fits that tradition of post‑overhaul refinement. Rather than adding a full off switch, Apple appears intent on nudging Liquid Glass closer to its original vision—more fluid, more legible, and better tuned to larger, varied Mac displays—while keeping the core visual identity firmly in place.
Design Awards vs. User Backlash: Who Is Apple Listening To?
The Gold Cube for Liquid Glass crystallises a tension at the heart of Apple’s current design strategy. On one side, vocal users complain that the macOS aesthetic update has made everyday tasks harder, citing blurry text and distracting transparency. On the other, a jury of 13 design professionals just honoured the same Liquid Glass design as a standout achievement in interactive UX and UI. Apple’s own award submission emphasised coherent materials, cohesive colours, and parallax effects that use device sensors to make interfaces feel more physical and human. That framing suggests Apple is prioritising long‑term design vision and peer recognition, even while it works to smooth rough edges for everyday users through subtle OS updates like macOS 27. The company seems convinced that the underlying idea is right; it is the implementation that needs constant tuning.
A Long-Term Bet on the Liquid Glass Aesthetic
Taken together, the design award and macOS 27 roadmap send a clear message: Liquid Glass is not a failed experiment; it is Apple’s long-term bet for its interface future. Since its debut at WWDC 2025, Apple has already toned down some of the most aggressive translucency in response to early criticism, and will now iterate again with improved shadows and transparency for macOS 27. Yet none of these moves point to retreat. Even after a key advocate like Alan Dye left the company, Apple is treating Liquid Glass the way it treated past overhauls—by refining year after year rather than rolling them back. For users, that means the macOS 27 interface will likely feel familiar but more polished, and those hoping for a complete reversal will instead see a design language that is slowly, but steadily, being made to fit them.