Principles

Rational#

Spectrum is based on real-world situations. Every component, pattern, and principle is informed by research and thoughtful testing.

Human#

Spectrum places customer needs first. It's deeply committed to a high standard of accessibility, honesty, and respect for user attention.

Focused#

Spectrum strives to deliver what’s needed, when it’s needed. No unnecessary decoration or irrelevant content.

Our principles in action#

For all platforms#

We believe that people should have a high quality experience that effortlessly scales across platforms.

Spectrum considers all platforms — for both desktop and mobile — from the ground up. We recognize that people work across many different products and often need to context switch, so our scale system accounts for better legibility and easier UI interactions to set a foundation for consistent experiences across devices.

Learn about platform scale

Illustration of the same Spectrum button, label Action, that retains its style and context on both a desktop and a mobile platform.

For everyone#

We believe in building for the widest audience possible.

Spectrum is designed to be clearly readable, intuitive to use, and mindful of those who use alternative input peripherals or screen readers. Everything in our system — from color and type to interaction and language — is built to be compliant with industry standards.

Learn about inclusive design
Learn about international design
Learn about bi-directionality

Illustration of 2 accent buttons, both labeled Share, one in English and one in Arabic. Both buttons include an icon. The button is Arabic is mirrored for RTL languages, with the icon on the right of the button.

Evolving and transparent#

We believe in a system that’s visible, flexible, and evolves.

Spectrum is built with transparency at its core. Everything in our system has its own individual versioning, a list of open issues, and a design checklist that communicate overall status. We want to consistently communicate what we’re working on, set clear expectations, and build trust with our users so that we can strengthen the relationships that help products and industries grow.

Check out what’s new

Illustration showing the design progression of an accent button. A blue button labeled Action begins as a rectangle shape. Then, it gets a slight corner rounding. Finally, it becomes a pill-shaped button.

Built by a community#

We believe that our system gets its strength from everyone.

Spectrum connects many different talents, viewpoints, and skills into something that benefits all Adobe products. Anyone at Adobe can contribute to a collection of design elements that are being considered as additions to the design system.

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