Among Apple’s six total wins at the 2026 Art Directors Club of New York awards, the highlight was a Gold Cube honor for the controversial Liquid Glass redesign.
Liquid Glass has faced some opposition due to readability issues on Mac, iPhone, and iPad, and Apple is expected to introduce an improved version at WWDC 2026. But its initial version earned Apple another Gold Cube ADC award.
The 13 judges on the panel have yet to comment on their choices and may not do so until the official ceremony on May 15, 2026. But the pitch that Apple’s internal design team made for the awards reveals what they were aiming for.
“iOS 26 was designed as a holistic reinvention of how software looks, feels, and works,” their awards speech said. “Through simplicity, clarity and efficiency, it establishes a design language that extends from the smallest detail to system-wide structure. »
“Refined typography, expressive iconography, thoughtful materials and consistent colors work together to create a cohesive experience on every surface,” he continues. “Parallax, driven by the device’s sensors, adds a new physical dimension to the experience by grounding the experience in the real world to help it feel more human.”
The Gold Cube is the second highest honor bestowed by the ADC Awards. Including its win for Liquid Glass, Apple took home six Gold Cubes at the 2026 awards:
- iOS 26 Liquid Glass – Interactive / UX / UI
- Apple TV Rebranding – Cinematography
- Apple TV Rebranding – Animated Logo
- Announcement “One day” – Direction
- “I’m Not Remarkable” – Music and Use of Sound
- “I’m Not Remarkable” – Online Video
Apple’s award entry for “I’m Not Remarkable” stated that “we decided to show students with disabilities that they are just like other students, and at the same time demonstrate Apple’s commitment to accessibility.”
The History of Apple’s ADC
The six Gold Cubes won for 2026 are equivalent to the total that he and his advertising agency TBWAMedia obtained in 2019 for the film “Welcome Home”.
But Apple’s best performance came in 2018 and 2020 when it won the best show award called Black Cube. In 2018, it was a one-minute ad for the iPhone 7 Plus, “Barbers.”
In 2020, Apple’s Black Cube award was for its “Bounce” commercial, a two-minute film showing a man commuting to work with AirPods.
The 2026 ceremony, titled “The One Show,” will conclude ADC’s Creative Week. It will be hosted on Friday, May 15 by writer and comedian Leslie Jones at Cipriani Wall Street.