Thesis · Simon Lou
Foreword
Introduction
A Little Bit of History
2.1 Rise of the Personal Computer
2.2 The Story of Mac OS
2.3 UI Trends in Operating Systems
The Ever-Changing Mac Identity
3.1 Mac-Assedness
3.2 Exploring the Roots
3.3 The DNA of the Mac
3.4 Technical Foundation
3.5 Software by Apple
3.6 The Uncanny Valley of Mac Software
3.7 Role of Fun
3.8 Recent Developments
Software as a Cultural Artifact
4.1 Visual Metaphors
4.2 Age of Homogenization
4.3 Expressive Software
4.4 Finding Style
4.5 Finding Balance
Looking at Examples
5.1 Sketch
5.2 Nova
5.3 iA Writer
Designing with an Opinion
6.1 Justifying Design Decisions
6.2 Challenges While Adopting Liquid Glass
6.3 Building truly for the Mac
6.4 Coloring Outside the Lines
Conclusions, Thoughts and Nostalgia
On a Personal Note
Appendix
References
Bachelor Thesis by
Simon Lou Schüler
Submitted to the Faculty of Design at the
University of Applied Sciences Potsdam
Surpervised by
Prof. Boris Müller
Frank Rausch
Berlin, December 2025
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Bachelor Thesis<br>Simon Lou
Opinionated<br>Expressive<br>Mac-Assed
Designing original software
that feels at home on the Mac
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Foreword
I grew up with the glow of Aqua—translucent buttons that shimmered like drops of water, icons that felt alive, and interfaces that seemed to breathe. Over the years, that glow flattened into clean, quiet surfaces. Software became neater, faster, and somehow less Mac.
I want to rediscover what made that early software feel special—not just visually, but emotionally. It is about taste, care, and the small details that make digital tools feel like they were designed by people, for people.
Chapter 1
Introduction
Building good software is hard—not because we lack tools, but because we often fail to learn from what came before. Over the past two decades, the platform Mac has moved through dramatic shifts in visual and interaction design: from richly textured skeuomorphism to today’s cleaner, flatter aesthetics. Each era brought its own philosophy, strengths, and pitfalls.
Right now the Mac is in a weird place. On the one hand, it has been there for decades, developing a rich and joyful community around it. On the other hand, it is in a deeply fragile phase of self-discovery—currently very indecisive and unfinished feeling. The platform feels caught between philosophies—hesitating, shifting, and sometimes contradicting itself.
The whole software industry managed to navigate itself in an age of homogenization. As design systems matured and platform conventions solidified, software across all operating systems began to converge—visually, structurally, emotionally. Apps once had an individual identity, not feeling all the same. Their personalities faded, their quirks disappeared, and the sense of soul that once defined great software got lost along the way. Like Andy Allen (2020) puts it:
The world of apps—once an exciting canvas for creative exploration—has become repetitive, predictable, and… boring.
I want to open my eyes to the great things we had. It is not about bringing back rich Corinthian leather‘Rich Corinthian leather’ originally referred to a made-up luxury car upholstery term from 1970s Chrysler ads, later used humorously for Apple’s leather-textured skeuomorphic interfaces.<br>or intricate stitchings, but giving an app an identity, which often materializes in the details and the craft. It seems like many have forgotten that friendliness and fun are at the roots of the Mac. “Everything about the Mac has been trying to humanize technology.” (Bramhill, 2015, 9:08) From the ‘Hello’ when the Mac first launches to the Finder icon that represents a smiling face.
The future of the Mac lies in synthesis—from photo-illustrative to flat design. By blending the warmth and clarity of earlier eras with the simplicity and focus of modern practice, we can imagine software that feels both contemporary and deeply human. It is okay for software to feature unique taste.
This thesis asks three questions:
What shapes the identity of Mac software?
How is that identity changing—and where might it go next?
How can designers create original, characterful work in a landscape where conventions are strong and sameness is so widespread?
By looking back at two decades of Mac software design, this work seeks to rediscover what once made apps feel alive—and to understand how those lessons can guide the platform through its current uncertainties. In a world where our devices can do almost anything, the question is no longer ‘what can we do?’ but ‘what should we do?’
This thesis does not approach Mac software design through Human–Computer Interaction theory or usability metrics. Instead, it adopts a media-studies perspective that treats software interfaces as cultural artifacts—designed objects that communicate values, ideologies, and identities through visual language, metaphors, and interaction patterns. The Mac is...