Aqua

Early Mac OS X: candy gel controls, pinstripes, gumdrop chrome.

What it feels like

Like first opening OS X — buttons are blue candy, windows wear fine stripes, bright and round.

Why it works

Gel highlights make controls feel pressable; pinstripe chrome locks a whole system identity.

How to tell AI

Aqua: candy-gel blue primary buttons with specular highlight, pinstriped window chrome, rounded controls, soft gray content—like early Mac OS X, not leather skeuomorphism.

Signals

· Candy / gel buttons
· Pinstripe surfaces
· Specular water-drop highlights
· Rounded window chrome

Don't confuse with

Y2K is millennium fashion chrome; Aqua is Apple system gel and pinstripe windows.

Y2K Digital

Frutiger Aero

Skeuomorphism

Style brief

Paste into your coding agent

Visual style: Aqua.

Early Mac OS X: candy gel controls, pinstripes, gumdrop chrome.

Defining signals:
- Candy / gel buttons
- Pinstripe surfaces
- Specular water-drop highlights
- Rounded window chrome

Do not confuse with: y2k, frutiger-aero, skeuomorphism.
Y2K is millennium fashion chrome; Aqua is Apple system gel and pinstripe windows.

Implementation brief:
Use classic Mac OS X Aqua: candy-gel blue primary buttons with specular highlight, pinstriped window chrome, rounded gumdrop controls, soft system gray content area. Not generic skeuomorphism leather.

Keep scope to visual language and components styling; do not redesign product information architecture unless asked.

Related patterns

Modal Dialog