Stylogenyin the style of Glassmorphism

Digital native · 2020–present · Global / networked

Glassmorphism

Also known as Frosted glass UI, Glass UI, Acrylic

An interface style of translucent, frosted panels floating over vivid, blurred backgrounds, so that depth and hierarchy come from layered transparency. Rooted in Windows Aero glass, the blur layers of iOS 7 and Fluent Design's Acrylic, it was named in 2020 around the launch of macOS Big Sur and returned in 2025 as Apple's refractive Liquid Glass.

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A vivid blue, purple and pink focus-timer interface features a large translucent circular timer reading 25:00 with a play button. Glossy abstract shapes surround glass-like navigation tabs, a session bar chart and two habit-building cards.
AI-generated by Stylogeny from the style’s design choices. Not a real or historical work.

01

How it works

  • Layer translucent panes over a vivid backdrop and blur what lies behind them, so it reads as colour rather than detail.
  • Give each pane a faint white fill, a 1px semi-transparent light border and a soft shadow so its edge holds against the background.
  • Place saturated gradient orbs, wallpaper or 3D shapes behind the glass: the effect only works when there is colour to diffuse.
  • Stack panes at distinct depths so hierarchy follows the z-axis, with the most important layer frontmost and most opaque.
  • Keep text on glass high-contrast and limit the number of translucent layers on screen at once.

Apple (macOS Big Sur) and Microsoft (Fluent Design Acrylic); named in the UI design community

02

Its design choices

From Stylogeny’s vocabulary of design choices: defining choices make the style, characteristic ones are usual, occasional ones turn up now and then.

Layout & composition
Space & hierarchy
Typography
Colour
Form & shape
Surface & texture
Ornament
Imagery
Medium & production
Tone & intent
Avoids
Hard offset shadow, Skeuomorphic material, Photocopy & distress, Paper & letterpress bite, Earth & mineral, Horror vacui, Abundant decoration

Palette

  • #7f5af0
  • #ff6ac1
  • #2cb1fc
  • #ffffff
  • #e6ecf5
  • #1b1a33

Typefaces

  • SF Pro

  • Segoe UI Variable

  • Inter

  • Poppins

Known for

  • Apple iOS 7 Control Center and blurred overlays

    2013

  • Microsoft Fluent Design System, Acrylic material

    2017

  • Apple macOS Big Sur

    2020

  • Michal Malewicz (HYPE4), 'Glassmorphism in user interfaces'

    2020

  • Apple Liquid Glass

    iOS 26 and macOS Tahoe, 2025

03

Make something in this style

Say what you need, and Stylogeny’s image studio draws it from Glassmorphism’s design choices and checks it against them. It takes about a minute, and you get a link to share.

Rule out a choice, read the prompt, or blend in another style: take this brief to Mix styles.

04

Where it comes from, and what it’s close to

Before it

The style it grew out of, and the styles it borrowed from.

This styleGlassmorphism2020–present · Global / networked

After it

The styles that grew out of it.

No later style in the atlas grew out of it yet.

Alike in its design choices

Styles that make many of the same choices, related or not, besides those above.

05

Real works

Artefacts in museums, libraries and archives that show the style, linked at their source.

06

Sources

  1. Michal Malewicz, 'Glassmorphism in user interfaces', UX Collective (2020)
  2. Microsoft, Fluent Design System: Acrylic material (learn.microsoft.com)

How Stylogeny researches and checks a style: where the facts come from.