"But Brad didn't just popularize design systems; he also gave us a framework for structuring them, and while we don't have to follow that framework exactly (most people adapt it to their needs), a particularly important part of most design systems is the variants, which are variations of components. Component variants allow for the design of components that are the same as other components, but different, so that they're understood by users immediately, yet provide clarity for a unique context."
"This makes component variants just as important as the components themselves. They ensure that we aren't creating too many components that have to be individually managed, even if they're only mildly different from other components, and since component variants are grouped together, they also ensure organization and visual consistency. And now we can use them in Penpot, the web-based, open-source design tool where design is expressed as code."
Design systems provide reusable patterns that maintain consistent look and feel across products. Brad Frost introduced a framework for structuring design systems that many teams adapt. Component variants are grouped variations of components that preserve recognizability while addressing unique contexts. Variants reduce component proliferation and simplify management by keeping similar components organized and visually consistent. Design tokens capture shared values like brand colors (e.g., color.brand.default = hsl(270 100 42)) and distinguish variants by the tokens they reference. Penpot, a web-based open-source design tool, supports expressing design as code and managing tokens and component variants for scalable design.
Read at Smashing Magazine
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]