Apple’s Liquid Glass interface for the iPhone wins a prestigious award

Liquid Glass was controversial when it first launched — Apple users were having trouble reading just their text messages — and even now it remains a divisive choice despite improvements.

However, one thing that cannot be denied is the effort that went into designing it, so Apple just won a very prestigious award for Liquid Glass.

Apple wins an award

According to industry insider Mark Gurman, Apple has won the Gold Cube award at the Art Directors Club Awards in New York this evening. This is a very prestigious award given to those who produce exemplary designs worthy of international recognition.

Liquid Glass took a lot of effort

When Apple first announced Liquid Glass, it didn’t shy away from detailing just how much effort went into perfecting the iOS redesign. The company had even crafted actual glass icons to physically study how light reflected off of them and how they refracted light under different conditions.
Liquid Glass looked phenomenal at release, it just needed a little more tweaking to make it a legible interface. Unfortunately, a lot of the original visual excellence has been lost after recent updates and changes.

Imitation is a form of flattery

Liquid Glass has been unique enough for other phone manufacturers to start mimicking it as well. Most Chinese phone manufacturers, for example, were quick to release new versions of their operating systems that embodied Liquid Glass.

Liquid Glass might not be everyone’s favorite redesign, but it is undoubtedly taking over the smartphone world. To design something that influential? This is what the Gold Cube award is for.

I can understand why

Though Liquid Glass gives me a slight headache, I can absolutely understand why Apple got this award. As Gurman puts it, designers in this industry can appreciate the craftsmanship behind Apple’s redesign.

I think Liquid Glass can be improved upon more, though I doubt it will ever look like it first did at launch. Unfortunately, a stunning work of art does not a good interface make. Not always, that is.

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