Atomic Design
Bryan Wengren | @bwengren

creating systems to
promote consistency
and scalability
Bryan Wengren

Sr. Client-side developer
UX Generalist
“Unicorn”
@bwengren
Atomic Design

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Core concepts

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Real-time application

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Is it right for my project/ company?
“I need a mock-up of…”
http://fixitordeal.files.wordpress.com/2010/10/sad-black-kitten-in-hell.jpg
“Atomic design provides a
clear methodology for
crafting design systems…”
–Brad Frost

http://bradfrostweb.com/blog/post/atomic-web-design/
Atoms combine to form
elements, elements create
molecules, molecules create
organisms, and so on.
http://bradfrostweb.com/blog/post/atomic-web-design/
ATOMS
ATOMS
Atoms are the basic building blocks
MOLECULES
MOLECULES
Molecules are groups of atoms bonded together
Iterate, iterate, iterate
ORGANISMS
ORGANISMS
Combine molecules together to form organisms
Iterate, iterate, ITERATE!
Which one is a contact us form?
TEMPLATES
TEMPLATES
Templates consist mostly of groups of
organisms stitched together to form pages
PAGES
PAGES

Pages are specific instances of templates
FRAMEWORKS
Frameworks

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Look-alike issues!

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Potential for bloated/ unneeded mark-up!

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Compatibility issues with existing sites!

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Not always the lesser of two evils
DOES IT WORK?
Page title
Input
Error

Buttons

Toggle

Nav bar
“I need a mock-up of…”
IS IT FOR ME?
Is it for me?

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Atomic Design may not be for everyone or every
situation. !

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It has to make sense for the project, the infrastructure. !

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It can be difficult to apply to legacy structure.
“Atomic design promotes
consistency and cohesive
between teams.”
- Luke Wroblewski

http://www.lukew.com/ff/entry.asp?1809
Atomic Design
#atomicdesign | @brad_frost | @lukew
http://pattern-lab.info/about.html
http://bradfrostweb.com/blog/post/atomic-web-design/
Bryan Wengren

Sr. Client-side developer
UX Generalist
“Unicorn”
@bwengren

Atomic design