1024 × 1024

October 24, 2026 • Luka Grafera

This Icon Day (10/24), Louie and I are reflecting on our recent body of work. We’ve created over 40 app icons for our clients since Apple’s announcement of its latest OS, which brought new and improved Liquid Glass features. The introduction of refraction, a new focus on layering elements, and a system environment with more restrained contrast levels, have us thinking about each 1024 × 1024 canvas very differently than we used to.

Overlap

Tiqan

Forward SMS

Linkmate

When developing app icon concepts, we’re looking for opportunities to overlap elements. Whether we choose to blur underlying shapes, refract them, or both, these intersections are a large part of what makes a Liquid Glass icon feel special.

Glyph “Plus”

Tacklebox

Prowl

Hitter

Where we may have previously used strategic bits of negative space to imply dimension in a single-color glyph, we now find ourselves leveraging subtle translucency and specular highlights to define the form of our subject.

Dimensionality

Reading List

GrindLab

Fine Tuna

For icons that call for more dimension, we make the most of directional gradients constructed directly within Icon Composer. Limiting contrast and simplifying shading allows us to represent complex forms without standing out among system icons.

Refraction

ShotTime

Mezzanine

Opus Assistant

Refraction isn’t always the right tool for the job, but when it works, the payoff is huge. The interplay of adjacent and overlapping shapes brings a whole new dimension to objects, without the need for a lot of manual drawing.

Alignment

Space

Portway

Pasta

Space

Portway

Pasta

In a constrained design environment, adhering to rules more closely in some aspects allows us leeway to deviate in others. We’re more mindful of the icon grid now than ever before, and it’s apparent in the consistent weight across our recent works.

Dark Appearance

Midnight

Sól

Flux Directory

Midnight

Sól

Flux Directory

Every icon needs a Dark appearance variant, and we delight in any chance to do something clever with it. Icons depicting outdoor scenes are great candidates for this kind of special attention.

Icons by Parakeet

We love to make app icons that developers and their users will love. So whether you need a brand-new app icon or a modern update to your existing one, let’s make it happen.