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Glossary · elevation

Glassmorphism

A surface aesthetic using translucent panels with backdrop blur to mimic frosted glass, popularized by macOS Big Sur and iOS.

Glassmorphism layers panels with `backdrop-filter: blur(...)` + low-opacity backgrounds + thin borders to evoke frosted glass. Modern OS-aspirational products (Obsidian OS, Arc Browser, parts of Linear, Raycast) deploy it as a section-level effect. Use sparingly: glass works when the content behind it is composed enough to be visible through the blur. AI2 Design's catalogue notes glass moments explicitly in the elevation rules.

Catalogued examples

2 catalogued sites demonstrate glassmorphism in production.

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