Design language comparison
Comet vs Runway
Both Comet and Runway commit to a dark-canvas approach, and they pair different display families (system-ui vs abcNormal). Beyond surface, motion levels are both expressive.
Palette · side by side
Up to 8 dominant swatches eachSide A · dark
Comet
Full Page
#313131
foreground
#0000ee
brand
#d9d9d9
neutral
Side B · dark
Runway
Full Page
#000000
foreground
#e5e7eb
neutral
#ffffff
background
#404040
foreground
#1a1a1a
foreground
#999999
foreground
#6b7280
foreground
Typography · side by side
Primary family + weight ladder + sampleSide A · dark
Comet
Full Page
- Display
- system-ui
- Body
- monospace
- Mono
- monospace
- Weights
- 400 · 600
Sample
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.
1234567890 — Body sample renders in the captured family if your browser has it; otherwise system fallback signals the weight ladder.
Side B · dark
Runway
Full Page
- Display
- abcNormal
- Body
- abcNormal
- Weights
- 400 · 450 · 500 · 600
Sample
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.
1234567890 — Body sample renders in the captured family if your browser has it; otherwise system fallback signals the weight ladder.
Spacing scale · side by side
Base unit + first 8 scale valuesSide A · dark
Comet
Full Page
- Base unit
- 8 px
- Container max
- 960 px
Side B · dark
Runway
Full Page
- Base unit
- 4 px
- Container max
- 1600 px
Motion vocabulary · side by side
Level + durations + easingsSide A · dark
Comet
Full Page
- Level
- expressive
- Libraries
- —
Durations
Easings
Side B · dark
Runway
Full Page
- Level
- expressive
- Libraries
- Framer Motion, GSAP
Durations
Easings
Palette & spacing overlap
Palette overlap is zero — Comet and Runway live in completely different chromatic registers, even when their layout grids feel adjacent. Their spacing scales overlap by 25% (8, 16, 32 px shared) — a rhythm any agent can transfer between the two systems with minimal recalibration.
Curator verdict
If you are building an interface that needs to reference both, Comet's restraint reads as the safer default and Runway's rhythm provides the accent moments — pair them at section-level, not at component-level.