Adobe has released an update to the design system called Spectrum, which the company has used for the past ten years as the basis for all of its applications.
This new design system is called Spectrum 2, and this new design system steps back a little from the austerity of the current Spectrum design system and adds a good number of color options.
“The new design system makes Adobe tools easy, inclusive, and fun to use across platforms, and supports our mission of empowering creativity for everyone,” Adobe said.
You can find parts of Spectrum 2 in recent Adobe web applications, such as the generative AI service Firefly, Adobe Express, and the new Adobe Acrobat web app.
The company notes that the team focused on three areas in designing the Spectrum 2, namely dynamic contrast and brightness, accessible colors, and attention hierarchy, in order to prioritize specific visual elements.
Adobe's new design system: A unified look for all its applications
Eric Snowden, vice president of design at Adobe, noted that there are some changes happening at the same time, as the company addresses a much broader audience than it did 10 years ago when it created Spectrum 1, which dates back to 2013.The company now embraces accessibility and inclusivity in products, and the company now offers products for many more platforms than it did 10 years ago, including tools that support virtual reality.
Today, the company wants to address the broad market that includes students, content creators, and small business owners, and this is the core of the company’s strategy over the past few years, after Adobe was exclusively addressing professional users and hobbyists who are motivated to learn its tools.
Snowden noted that the original Spectrum design system had a very serious look, partly due to the company's desire to focus on the creative work of its creators.
Adobe will begin rolling out Spectrum 2 in early 2024 by bringing it to the web and iOS applications first, and over time Spectrum 2 will also arrive in the company's main desktop applications, such as Photoshop, Lightroom, and Premiere Pro.
The company plans to bring the new design language to more than 100 applications in total, although introducing a new design system across such a large number of applications is not an easy task.
In 2024, Adobe expects to be able to release Spectrum 2 for a good number of applications.
Snowden stressed that the company wants to continue to give its professional users the flexibility necessary to use the tools as before, while providing a better experience for those who are still learning how to use a particular tool.
Different product teams use this change as an opportunity to highlight some of the new tools they have added over the past few years, as well as focus on some new ways to implement things that new users may not know about because they are hidden in the current design.
The new system is already being used in a number of Adobe's applications, including Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign. Adobe plans to gradually roll out Spectrum 2 to all of its products in the coming months.
Benefits:
The benefits of Adobe's new design system include:
- A unified look and feel across Adobe's products: This will make it easier for users to learn and use Adobe's products.
- Responsive design: This will ensure that Adobe's products look good on a variety of devices.
- Accessibility: This will make Adobe's products more accessible to people with disabilities.
- Brand consistency: This will help Adobe maintain its brand identity across its products.
Conclusion:
Adobe's new design system is a significant investment in the company's future. The system is designed to make Adobe's products more user-friendly, accessible, and consistent.