/ Blog / / Blog /App icons that conform to the bounds of a squircle are no different from the millions of constraints that define the macOS and iOS platforms we design and develop in. Of course it is an Apple-defined constraint. Most platform guidance we follow to make apps are Apple-defined constraints.
Do not forget: we design and develop apps within the macOS container. We have to acknowledge that space when we design and develop apps.
There was a term from an old Human Interface Guidelines document I love: perceived stability. The idea that if apps share a certain way of thinking, the platform as a whole will feel more stable. Users will more easily comprehend how all apps work if they all work similarly.
This is how Apple works. It has been true forever. We design menus with specific titles (File, Edit, View, Go, Window, Help), not because they intrinsically make the most sense. We do it because it strengthens the familiarity of apps on the platform.