Adobe, a prominent player in creative software, has unveiled Spectrum 2, a comprehensive update to its design system that spans all facets of its applications, encompassing icons, typography, color schemes, and illustration styles.
This Adobe Spectrum development comes over a decade since the inception of the design system, signifying the company's evolution in catering to a broader audience.
Originally crafted in 2013, Adobe Spectrum was tailored for business professionals with a serious and austere aesthetic. According to The Verge, Spectrum resembles Google's Material You.
However, with the expansion of Adobe's Creative Cloud to encompass a diverse user base, ranging from professionals to students and content creators, Spectrum 2 is crafted to establish a more approachable, expressive, and inclusive design atmosphere.
In this photo taken on April 16, 2020, a general view shows the Indian office of US multinational computer software company Adobe in Bangalore.
Here's What To Expect From Adobe Spectrum 2
A conspicuous change in this redesign involves a departure from Adobe's conventional, subdued gray color palette to embrace a more inviting and vibrant color scheme. According to ZD Net, the Adobe Spectrum 2 design team has already provided a glimpse of these alterations in Adobe Express, showcasing lighter, bolder, and rounder designs with brighter colors, thicker strokes, and more amiable icons and typography.
Accessibility takes center stage in this redesign, featuring dynamic contrast and brightness, a spectrum of accessible colors accommodating various color vision deficiencies, and an attention hierarchy to prioritize visual elements. The goal is to make Adobe's products easier to use, especially for visually challenged people.
Adobe Spectrum 2's look will change across OSX, Windows, iOS, Android, and the web for a consistent and unique user experience to give Adobe's tools the "at home" experience on the specific platform and device in use, offering a consistent yet slightly varied experience.
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Adobe plans to introduce Spectrum 2 progressively across its array of applications, totaling over 100. Although Spectrum 2 is slated for rollout in 2024, starting with Adobe web products, users can gain a preview of the forthcoming design by visiting the Spectrum 2 website.
Reaching Out to New Adobe Users
Eric Snowden, Adobe's VP of Design, emphasized that these changes are geared toward addressing new audiences, with an early incorporation of accessibility and inclusivity.
Snowden clarified that the redesign recognizes Adobe's shift from exclusively serving professionals to reaching a broader market. Despite these modifications, Adobe is dedicated to giving professional users freedom and improving the out-of-the-box experience for beginners.
"We're not trying to get away from that, but we are in a lot of areas of Adobe, a creative company, and we want to bring approachability, brightness, fun, and whitespace-and we're just sort of looking at this in a different way now," Snowden said, as quoted in a TechCrunch article.
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