Apple Design Awards: What designers should really be paying attention to

How’s everyone doing?

We’re halfway through the year — I can’t believe it.

This past week, my feed has been flooded with all things Apple.

Between the new Liquid Glass design (mixed reviews tbh) and the option to change your iMessage wallpaper — there’s been a lot to process. (More on this later!)

Something that didn’t get much love this week?

Apple’s annual Design Awards

And if you’re a baby designer (or a senior designer), this is honestly one of the best learning tools out there. 💡

Studying award-winning apps gives you a front-row seat to what “great” design looks and feels like — not just visually, but in motion, in function, in how it supports people and thinks a few steps ahead.

Every year, I make a folder on my iPad and phone called “design snacks” — a mini design museum I can visit anytime.

I love breaking down their interactions, layouts, microcopy, and flow.

One thing I found odd tho: No AI category.

This is actually the second year Apple skipped highlighting AI-centric apps — which feels a bit off, given how much the industry is leaning into it.

It’s giving... thoughtful resistance? 🤔

Or maybe just a stronger spotlight on creativity and craft, especially from smaller teams.

Either way — I’ll be sharing below some standout apps for some inspo. 🧃

Aaaand… this week, we’re going through cool tools and reads to keep you updated in all things new in design and tech:

〰️ Don’t gloss over it—there’s more to Liquid Glass
〰️ Anthropic’s free interactive course
〰️ This browser knows how to make a great first impression

☁️ news & trends

What do y’all think about Apple’s Liquid Glass 👀
Liquid Glass is getting a ton of mixed reviews, but I appreciated this walkthrough from Maria, the designer behind it, breaking down the design thinking. But what I’m really excited for? Seeing how the design team takes all this feedback and (hopefully!) comes back with something even better this fall.

Anthropic’s free interactive course
Anthropic just launched a free, interactive course on prompt engineering within Claude — basically how to talk to AI so you get the best results. If you’ve ever struggled to get the output you want, this is worth checking out. Fun, short, and surprisingly insightful.

Another one: Gemini prompting guide 101 📝
Prompts for Gemini need a little bit more context, like adding a persona, task, content, and outline, while prompts for Anthropic are more for open-ended questions. Either way, both guides are worth looking into!

🪐 launches & tools

Dia’s onboarding flow — I can’t 🤩 
I’ve been using the Arc browser— a fresh, design-forward take on browsing by The Browser Company. So when they dropped Dia, their new AI-first app, I had to try it. And wow, the onboarding? It seriously felt like unboxing a brand new MacBook. The team just knows how to make a great first impression.

Code layers in Figma Sites
Add interactions and animations with code crafted by you or with help from Figma’s AI. Can’t wait to explore how this bridges design and development even more seamlessly.

OpenAI’s guide on building your first agent
This guide by OpenAI walks you through building one that feels intuitive and useful. If you’ve ever wanted to design something smarter than a chatbot, this one’s worth bookmarking.

🌼 “Design Snacks” from the 2025 Apple Design Awards

Here are a few of my faves that made me go, oh, that’s clever.

I’ve been screen-recording, tapping through, and taking notes like I’m at a museum!

📘 Capwords

You just point your camera at any object — signs, snacks, toys — and it instantly tells you what it is, plus a sample sentence in 10 languages.

Such a delightful way to learn on your own, all while staying present in your surroundings. Every interaction is a banger.

When I tried it, it honestly felt like the app was gently nudging me — “hey, look up from your phone, take in the world.” 🤳

🪑 Taobao

A Chinese “Amazon” shopping app is killing it with their immersive shopping experience. IKEA, Amazon, and Wayfair have been playing with AR for a while now, but Taobao’s version just feels… better integrated and easier to navigate. You can compare furniture side by side, test placement, and play with controls and size.

💻 Play

Haven’t tried this one yet, but Play looks like a dream for prototyping apps. It’s got a familiar canvas, but with real SwiftUI, Core Animation, and native iOS elements baked in.

You can design straight from your iPhone or Mac — all synced with collaborators in real-time.

🐦 Art of Fauna

My personal favorite! Art of Fauna is such a charming little puzzle game — like vintage wildlife vibes meets mindful design.

You solve puzzles by moving images or words around, and it’s fully built with accessibility in mind (voice-over and haptics included!). So thoughtful — a cool way of promoting wildlife conservation. 🦜 

👂 Speechify

Speechify is the only AI-powered app that made it to this year’s Apple Design Awards — and honestly, it makes sense.

It’s simple, inclusive, and just so meaningful. With support for 50+ languages and hundreds of voices, it helps people with dyslexia, ADHD, low vision, or anyone who learns best by listening.

Looking for more inspo? More to add in your design museum here: 2025 Apple Design Awards Winners & Finalists

Hope these help spark ideas for you. Enjoy!

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Marisa | @meshtimes