Spectrum

Version 6.0.0

Link

Links allow users to navigate to a different location. They can be presented inline inside a paragraph or as standalone text.

Table of contents#

Options
Behaviors
Usage guidelines
Keyboard interactions
Changelog
Design checklist

Options#

An example of using a primary link in text to call attention to the link. Text says, "If you look at any designer you admire, whose work inspires you, and whose approach somehow resonates with you, I promise you'll find a person who does not think of what they do as just a job." "find a person" is highlighted in Spectrum blue and underlined to present a link.

Primary variant#

The primary link is the default variant and and is blue. This should be used to call attention to the link and for when the blue color won’t feel too overwhelming in the experience.

An example of using a secondary link in text to call attention to the link. Text says, "If you look at any designer you admire, whose work inspires you, and whose approach somehow resonates with you, I promise you'll find a person who does not think of what they do as just a job." "find a person" is underlined in the same gray color as the text to present a secondary link.

Secondary variant#

The secondary variant is the same gray color as the paragraph text. Its subdued appearance is optimal for when the primary variant is too overwhelming, such as in blocks of text with several references linked throughout.

An example of using a link in text to call attention to a link when text is over a background variant. Text says, "If you look at any designer you admire, whose work inspires you, and whose approach somehow resonates with you, I promise you'll find a person who does not think of what they do as just a job." "find a person" is underlined in the same white color as the text to present a link over the background variant in Seafoam 500.

Over background variant#

When a link needs to be placed on top of a colored background or visual, use the over background variant. Make sure that the background and the white link color meet the minimum color contrast ratio.

Quiet#

All links can have a quiet style, which means they don’t have an underline. This style should only be used when the placement and context of the link is explicit enough that a visible underline isn’t necessary. Quiet links are less accessible, so they should not be used for links that are essential to the experience. These are commonly used in website footers, where there are several lists of links that are shortcuts to other pages.

Table of options#

From the design point of view, each component has a number of options. These options and their names are platform agnostic, and each implementation should adapt these to fit into their framework.

Property	Values	Default Value
variant	primary / secondary / over background	primary
is quiet	yes / no	no

Behaviors#

Key example of link in Windows “high contrast black” theme with label “Link text”.

Windows high contrast mode#

In Windows high contrast mode, links should be displayed using the windows high contrast theme-specified colors for link text. When placed over a background or image, links have the default theme background color.

Link (Windows high contrast mode) UI kit

Usage guidelines#

Use links in body copy#

Links should be restricted to the body copy and not used in headers. If you are looking for a larger and more prominent link, consider using other types of call to actions, such as buttons.

Key example showing correct usage of links in body copy. Text states Make it. Creative Cloud. it's everything you need to create, collaborate, and get inspired. Learn more about Creative Cloud. "Learn more about Creative Cloud." is using a secondary link.

Key example showing incorrect usage of links in body copy. Text states Make it. Creative Cloud. int he header and, "It's everything you need to create, collaborate, and get inspired. Learn more about Creative Cloud." in the body copy. "Creative Cloud" In the header is hyperlinked.

Think about screen readers#

Be mindful of what the experience is for users navigating with screen readers. Make sure to give enough context within the link about where the link will take the user.

Key example showing correct usage of screen readers. Text states "Learn more about how to draw".

Key example showing incorrect correct usage of screen readers. Text states "Click here to learn more about how to draw".

Keyboard interactions#

Key	Interaction
Enter	Executes the link and moves the focus to the link target.

Changelog#

Date	Number	Notes
Aug 13, 2019	6.0.0	Changed “standard/quiet” to “primary” and “secondary” variants Added quiet as an option
Apr 20, 2019	5.0.0	This component is now individually versioned (individual versions of existing components start at 5.0.0)

Design checklist#

All interactive states

Includes all interactive states that are applicable (hover, down, focus, keyboard focus, disabled).

All color themes

Works properly across all four color themes (lightest, light, dark, darkest).

All platform scales

Includes a desktop scale (UWP, macOS, web desktop) and a mobile scale (iOS, Android, web mobile).

N/A

Accessible use of color

Color is not used as the only visual means of conveying information (WCAG 2.0 1.4.1).

Accessible contrast for text

Text has a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 for small text and at least 3:1 for large text (WCAG 2.0 1.4.3).

N/A

Accessible contrast for UI components

Visual information required to identify components and states (except inactive components) has a contrast ratio of at least 3:1 (WCAG 2.1 1.4.11).

Content design

UI language and information design considerations have been incorporated into component design.

Defined options

Includes relevant options (variant, style, size, orientation, optional iconography, decorations, selection, error state, etc.)

N/A

Defined behaviors

Includes guidelines for keyboard focus, layout (wrapping, truncation, overflow), animation, interactions, etc.

Usage guidelines

Includes a list of dos and don'ts that highlight best practices and common mistakes.

Writing guidelines

Includes content standards or usage guidelines for how to write or format in-product content for the component.

N/A

Internationalization guidelines

Works properly across various locales and includes guidelines for bi-directionality (RTL).

Keyboard interactions

Follows WCAG 2.0 standards for keyboard accessibility guidelines and includes a description of the keyboard interactions.

Design tokens

All design attributes (color, typography, layout, animation, etc.) are available as design tokens.

UI kit

Includes a downloadable XD file that shows multiple options, states, color themes, and platform scales.

Generated UI kit

Includes a downloadable XD file, generated by code using design tokens defined in Spectrum DNA, and shows multiple options, states, color themes, and platform scales.

In Spectrum for Adobe XD plugin

Component is included in the Spectrum for Adobe XD plugin.

Button group

Quick actions