Introducing Polaris: Shopify’s new design system
As the dust has settled on last month’s Shopify Unite conference it’s probably a good time to consider what those announcements mean for Irish Shopify merchants. As it was a partner event for the global community of Shopify Experts and Partners it contained many announcements targeted for folks like us, but that doesn’t mean that there weren’t any goodies for all you Shopify Merchants out there too!
We’ll be taking a closer look over the coming weeks at the new enhancements coming your way. First up is the Shopify Admin.
Introducing Polaris: Shopify’s new design system
The most noticeable change is that your store admin is getting a design overhaul. The green and grey colour scheme of the current admin interface will be changing to a more sophisticated blend of indigo, blue, purple and teal along with a broader palette of varied supplemental colours. The new Polaris design structure provides a cleaner, clearer, more consistent design throughout the admin pages and you’ll see more graphical elements in the form of drawings, icons, and new buttons that will assist Shopify store merchants with running their store. The changes also provide for more enhanced visual accessibility for those with impaired vision.
The Shopify admin has always been a major strength of the overall Shopify offering for those considering using Shopify for their online store when compared to many of the other platforms. This upgrade will further extend that benefit and make it even harder for anyone who’s used the Shopify admin in helping to run a store to ever consider another solution. As Leonardo da Vinci said: “Once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return.”
The new Polaris design will obviously extend to the fantastic Shopify Mobile App. More and more of our clients are running their stores primarily through the Shopify Mobile App, and these new changes will make it even easier to do so.
Possibly the greatest benefit though will be when the Shopify app developers adopt this same design approach for their own apps (Shopify is freely sharing the design approach with all Shopify app developers). When this happens you’ll be switching between the Shopify Admin and the individual apps' admin screens and there will be a consistent use of colour, structure and function between both.
Shopify store owners will begin to see the new Polaris interface from later this month, but expect a delayed roll-out from your favourite apps as the developers are working hard at updating their apps to reflect the new design.
We'll bring you more updates on the new Shopify products and features in the coming weeks - to get regular updates on this and other Shopify news sign up for our newsletter above the footer below!
Best,
Peter
