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Liquid Glass

Exploring Apple's New Design System in Sports

Apple’s New Design Approach

Apple has just released iOS 26, which features a brand-new design style. Some think it’s revolutionary; others say it’s distracting and lazy. I think it looks great, though I’m not sure from a UI standpoint. Outlets say Apple is “paving the way forward” for AR glasses. Either way, it was a fun challenge to recreate and apply it through a sports graphic design lens.

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What if the NFL used the Design Language?

I chose to go with the NFL because the season is coming back around the corner. Teams came out with their media days and lots of great memes. I really like Josh Allen’s aura and play style so I chose him to be my subject.

What I Created

The three images of Josh Allen show the progression of the graphic. From left to right: the first is the original, unedited image. The second includes natural color correction, which I think pairs well with the Liquid Glass design. The third incorporates some of the actual Liquid Glass elements.

To the untrained eye, the glass effect might look like glassmorphism—but Apple’s design isn’t frosted. It’s more fluid and sharp. I wasn’t able to fully replicate the refraction aspect, but I got close using Figma’s texture effects. A lot of the final look comes from subtle inner shadows.

Below, I added the NFL logo to a gradient background that looks super sleek (in my opinion). To the right of that, you’ll see all the effects I applied to the frame and the SVG/shape.

Writen by Michael Deas

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