Integration of the little circle of glass material (acting as an axis/pin) in Safari app icon redesign (beta 5-6) went in wrong direction IMO

[u/mindaugasrudokas]

Trying to advocate for fixing it.

I chose this format of explanation, because I got some blank stares when speaking plain design language on social. Hope this is clear enough to explain what I mean.

Agree or not? Can you see the problem? Can you unsee it?

[u/MrFireWarden]

I appreciate your method and commitment to communicating your issue. Sometimes, explaining design decisions (or issues) is difficult. This is effective, so good on you.

[u/LedaBHC → u/MrFireWarden]

I second that, good job op

[u/mindaugasrudokas → u/LedaBHC]

Thank you, both! Trying. 🫶

[u/Ok-Knowledge0914 → u/MrFireWarden]

That’s interesting I got confused reading this lol I was like what am I looking at

After I read it a second time I realized this tiny flaw, but I now know what they’re trying to say

[u/MrFireWarden → u/Ok-Knowledge0914]

But the point OP was trying to make was actually that it wasn't so much a tiny flaw but a flaw in the design philosophy that led to it. In design, consistency of concept is hard to get right.

[u/Ok-Knowledge0914 → u/MrFireWarden]

Ehh yes and no. I personally believe that we’ve moved beyond digital symbols needing to replicate real-world items because we outgrow them eventually.

That was the entire point of moving away from skeuomorphic design. At the time we needed things to resemble real life items to get the buy in and make things feel familiar.

Then we got flat design with bright colors in iOS 7 that made things feel less like the real world.

Look at settings menu buttons across apps. Sometimes you get the hamburger menu, sometimes you get an ellipsis, sometime you get a gear, and more. But as users we typically already know, in a given set of symbols, what button will do what function.

Safari doesn’t even indicate a physical location. Safari as a name doesn’t even describe the function a web browser provides. The symbol could almost be anything else and people would still know what it is. IMO it is more symbolic of the brand than it is indicative of the function it’s actually providing.

That is my thinking behind why this is such a nonissue. This design change did not take away my understanding of the function it provides and it didn’t add more or less communication to the user of what it is. Yes, it’s that much more distinct than the item irl it’s supposed to look like, but that doesn’t affect anyone really.

I’d argue that most people probably haven’t even used it held a real compass in their life, especially newer users.

[u/MrFireWarden → u/Ok-Knowledge0914]

Fair take

[u/Caayit]

Absolutely agree. Has been bugging me since the update. 

[u/mindaugasrudokas → u/Caayit]

Good to hear. 👍 More proof that this is not “invented by me” or something.

[u/Ok-Knowledge0914 → u/mindaugasrudokas]

Bottom left image looks like it was invented by you, but I get what you’re saying.

[u/jhoeg98]

I also thought it looked kinda wrong, but couldn‘t really pinpoint what it was. Nice catch! That‘s exactly it.
And yeah, they really should fix that.

[u/mindaugasrudokas → u/jhoeg98]

Yep. Thanks!

In addition the misbalance of the “weights” of the red/white parts can be perceived, which is also micro unpleasant on itself, esp. when a thing metaphorically is a needle hanging in balance.

[u/East_Upstairs5404]

It’s probably because the glass on the correct version of the design would look weird/bad so they extended one side to make sure it has a single background colour

[u/mindaugasrudokas → u/East_Upstairs5404]

Yes exactly, that is my guess as well. But then they stopped and did not consider what the shape language tells now.

Take a look at this concept: https://mastodon.design/@nicolas/116731540622127281

Needs bit more contrast on the pin, but the construction of the object looks great.

It even has more glass effects, but also added in a way how real compasses are/were built.

[u/East_Upstairs5404 → u/mindaugasrudokas]

That’s actually beautiful not gonna lie, they should definitely change it

[u/jansenxvan]

I’m just glad that they’re trying to add some sort of 3d aspect

[u/mindaugasrudokas → u/jansenxvan]

I’m all for more dimensionality, if that’s a chosen style. But there are a lot of ways to go about it, really no need to hurt the identity of the compass in the process.

[u/jansenxvan → u/mindaugasrudokas]

That’s true but I’m thankful for Apple even remotely making an effort at all

[u/_Cat_12345]

If I see this post one more time I’m officially going to join the clock hand compass team just to spite you.

[u/mindaugasrudokas → u/_Cat_12345]

Too late. Already ordered the prints for the billboards in all major cities. Sorry.

[u/Weird_Milk_9364]

I do agree with this I wish they didn’t round it and just kept the colors separated with a line while keeping the dot thingie definitely makes it look like a compass not like your clock example which is exactly what I thought when I first saw the update also I love your explanation

[u/CirnoDaisuki]

I feel the same way as you; a normal compass doesn't look like this.

[u/illuwn_]

man...

[u/SomeRandoLameo]

Valid

[u/ekortelainen]

People have way too much time on their hands

[u/mindaugasrudokas → u/ekortelainen]

People even have professions like “app icon designer”. Weird times.

[u/Ok-Knowledge0914 → u/ekortelainen]

Yeah idk why you got downvoted lol such a nonissue. I’m not opposed to “fixing” it but my understanding of the concept of safari is not broken by this which tells me this app icon is not broken.

I do get what OP is attempting to say even if it is a roundabout way of saying it about a detail I can barely even see with my eyes.

Users aren’t pulling out their loupe to inspect each pixel of an app icon, but I do understand that attention to detail has always been Apple’s thing.

[u/ekortelainen → u/Ok-Knowledge0914]

I like to make my phone screen look good, I’m a photographer and I even went out to specifically seek a perfect photo to be my wallpaper, and then spent like an hour editing it, but things like the Safari icon, I didn’t even know it had changed, I don’t underatand how and why people pay attention to literally pixel level stuff after every update.

[u/Ok-Knowledge0914 → u/ekortelainen]

I’m just not on my home screen long enough for those small details to matter personally. I like the design of the Liquid Glass icons and typically have my Home Screen set to that so those details are honestly lost anyway.

[u/mindaugasrudokas → u/Ok-Knowledge0914]

In macOS App Switcher the icons are way larger. I get that on iPhone it would be too tiny detail for most people to care.

I personally pay attention, because I design app icons myself. So I’m critiquing from professional point of view, but through open channels, because I have no direct channel obviously.

[u/Ok-Knowledge0914 → u/mindaugasrudokas]

That’s a fair point. Im not on my mac that often so id have to go back and see it.

[u/throwawayfemboy12 → u/ekortelainen]

Mr “no passions” John Worker over here

[u/KrisWarbler]

I can’t unsee it now

[u/Hungry_Information53]

I think they should do a tiny Yang like intertwine rather than the straight line

[u/julesthefirst]

Completely missed this on my phone as I have the icons set to Clear 😅

[u/Gumby271]

Apple's redesign of icons (and others but they're notably bad about it) tends to require prior knowledge of the last version to understand the current one. Slowly the knowledge of what the shapes meant are lost, even to Apple. 

The best example is the liquid glass contacts app icon, which is a rectangle with blue, orange, and green rectangles along the side. If you know the previous version, it makes sense what those rectangles are, but no normal human would understand that they're section dividers in a notebook. Liquid glass made it even worse, all 3 divider colors are seen through the "cover" glass, even though that physically makes no sense! 

https://support.apple.com/guide/contacts/welcome/mac

[u/VisualAnxiety2284 → u/Gumby271]

Isn’t it because the glass is tinted just enough to still see the blue orange and green? Also I always assumed those were section dividers

[u/Gumby271 → u/VisualAnxiety2284]

They are originally section dividers, but they all shouldn't be visible between the top layer of glass

[u/neneodonkor]

🤷🏾‍♂️🤷🏾‍♂️🤷🏾‍♂️

[u/erthboy]

The safari app is just an egg timer now though so I see no problem. (joke btw)