Open Source Design Tools

Comprehensive guide to free and open source design tools for creating mockups, prototypes, and production-ready assets for VLN products.

Design & Prototyping

Penpot (⭐ Recommended)

The Open Source Figma Alternative

🌐 Web-based: No installation required
🎨 Full-featured: Vector editing, prototyping, design systems
👥 Collaboration: Real-time collaboration like Figma
🔓 Open Standards: SVG-based, exports to industry standards
💾 Self-hostable: Host your own instance

Getting Started:

# Use web version (easiest)
Visit: https://penpot.app

# Or self-host with Docker
docker run -d \
  -p 8080:80 \
  --name penpot \
  penpotapp/frontend:latest

Perfect For:

UI/UX design
Design systems
Interactive prototypes
Team collaboration
Component libraries

Resources:

Penpot Docs
Penpot Community
VLN Design Kit Template - Import our color system

Inkscape

Vector Graphics Powerhouse

🎯 Professional: Full SVG editor
🖼️ Logo Design: Perfect for icons and logos
📐 Precision: Exact measurements and paths
🔧 Extensions: Huge plugin ecosystem

Installation:

# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt install inkscape

# macOS (Homebrew)
brew install --cask inkscape

# Windows
# Download from https://inkscape.org/release/

Perfect For:

Logo design
Icon creation
Vector illustrations
Print design
SVG optimization

VLN Workflow:

Create icons at 24x24px artboard
Export as optimized SVG
Use directly in React with SVGR
Import into component library

GIMP

Image Editing & Manipulation

🖼️ Full-featured: Photoshop alternative
🎨 Photo editing: Professional retouching
🔧 Scripting: Python-based automation
🆓 100% Free: No subscriptions ever

Installation:

# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt install gimp

# macOS (Homebrew)
brew install --cask gimp

# Windows
# Download from https://gimp.org

Perfect For:

Photo editing and retouching
Creating og-images and social cards
Mockup backgrounds
Texture creation
Banner design

Mockup & Wireframing

Excalidraw

Quick Collaborative Wireframes

✏️ Hand-drawn style: Perfect for early wireframes
🚀 Fast: No learning curve
👥 Collaborative: Real-time multi-user
🔒 Privacy: End-to-end encrypted

Getting Started:

# Use web version
Visit: https://excalidraw.com

# Or use VS Code extension
code --install-extension pomdtr.excalidraw-editor

Perfect For:

Quick wireframes
Architecture diagrams
Flow charts
Brainstorming sessions
ASCII-style mockups before Penpot

Lunacy

Windows/Mac Sketch Alternative

📂 Sketch compatible: Open .sketch files
🎨 Built-in graphics: Huge asset library
🆓 Free: No paid tiers
💻 Offline-first: No internet required

Installation:

# Download from https://icons8.com/lunacy
# Available for Windows, macOS, Linux

Perfect For:

Opening Sketch files
Quick mockups with built-in assets
Windows/Mac native experience

Multi-Resolution Mockups

Responsively

All-in-One Responsive Testing

📱 Multiple devices: Test all breakpoints at once
🔄 Synchronized: Scroll and click mirrored across screens
📸 Screenshots: Capture all resolutions
🎯 Developer-focused: Hot reload support

Installation:

# Download from https://responsively.app
# Or install via package manager

# macOS
brew install --cask responsively

# Windows
choco install responsively

# Linux (AppImage available)

VLN Workflow:

# Start dev server
cd devops-panel
pnpm dev

# Open in Responsively
# Add devices: iPhone 13, iPad, Desktop (1920x1080)
# Test responsive behavior
# Take screenshots for documentation

Perfect For:

Responsive testing
Multi-device screenshots
Design QA
Documentation captures

Polypane

Professional Responsive Development

🎨 Multiple viewports: Side-by-side testing
♿ Accessibility: Built-in a11y testing
📸 Screenshot all: Export all sizes at once
🔧 Dev tools: Per-viewport inspection

Note: Free for open source projects, paid otherwise

Perfect For:

Accessibility testing
Professional responsive development
Client presentations

Screenshots & Mockups

Flameshot (Linux)

Powerful Screenshot Tool

# Install
sudo apt install flameshot

# Quick capture with annotation
flameshot gui

# Capture specific area and copy to clipboard
flameshot gui --clipboard

Shottr (macOS)

Fast Mac Screenshots

# Install
brew install --cask shottr

# Features: Annotations, scrolling capture, OCR

ShareX (Windows)

All-in-One Screen Capture

# Download from https://getsharex.com

# Features:
# - Screen recording
# - GIF creation
# - Scrolling capture
# - Annotatio

Browser DevTools

Chrome/Edge DevTools

Built-in Responsive Testing

// Open DevTools
// Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + M for device mode

// Capture screenshots
// 1. Open DevTools
// 2. Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + P
// 3. Type "screenshot"
// 4. Choose "Capture full size screenshot"

Device Emulation:

// Add custom devices matching VLN breakpoints
const devices = {
  mobile: { width: 375, height: 812 },   // sm
  tablet: { width: 768, height: 1024 },  // md
  laptop: { width: 1024, height: 768 },  // lg
  desktop: { width: 1920, height: 1080 } // xl
};

Color & Accessibility

Color Contrast Checker

Free Online Tools:

Pika (macOS Color Picker)

# Install
brew install --cask pika

# Pick any color from screen
# Get hex, rgb, hsl values

ColorSlurp (macOS/iOS)

Pick colors from anywhere
Organize palettes
Check accessibility
Sync across devices

Icon Libraries

Lucide Icons (Used by VLN)

React Component Library

# Install
pnpm add lucide-react

# Use in React
import { Heart, Star, Zap } from 'lucide-react';

function MyComponent() {
  return (
    <>
      <Heart className="text-vln-sage" size={24} />
      <Star className="text-vln-amber" size={24} />
      <Zap className="text-vln-sky" size={24} />
    </>
  );
}

Heroicons

Tailwind CSS Official Icons

pnpm add @heroicons/react

import { BeakerIcon } from '@heroicons/react/24/solid';

Phosphor Icons

Flexible Icon Family

pnpm add @phosphor-icons/react

import { Lightning, Heart } from "@phosphor-icons/react";

Typography

Google Fonts

Free Web Fonts

/* Already included in VLN */
@import url('https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=Inter:wght@400;500;600;700&display=swap');
@import url('https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=JetBrains+Mono:wght@400;500&display=swap');

Fontsource

Self-hosted Fonts

# Install fonts locally
pnpm add @fontsource/inter @fontsource/jetbrains-mono

# Import in your app
import '@fontsource/inter/400.css';
import '@fontsource/inter/500.css';
import '@fontsource/jetbrains-mono/400.css';

Animation & Interaction

Framer Motion (Used by VLN)

Production-Ready Animations

import { motion } from 'framer-motion';

<motion.div
  initial={{ opacity: 0, y: 20 }}
  animate={{ opacity: 1, y: 0 }}
  transition={{ duration: 0.3 }}
  className="bg-vln-bg-lighter"
>
  Animated content
</motion.div>

LottieFiles

Free Animation Library

LottieFiles
Export as JSON
Use with lottie-react

pnpm add lottie-react

import Lottie from 'lottie-react';
import animation from './animation.json';

<Lottie animationData={animation} />

Documentation & Handoff

Storybook

Component Documentation

# Install in your project
cd devops-panel
pnpx storybook@latest init

# Run Storybook
pnpm storybook

Perfect For:

Component library documentation
Visual regression testing
Design-dev handoff
Component playground

Recommended VLN Stack

Purpose	Tool	Why
UI Design	Penpot	Full Figma alternative, web-based
Icons	Lucide React	Already integrated, consistent style
Vector	Inkscape	Logo and icon creation
Wireframes	Excalidraw	Fast, collaborative
Photos	GIMP	Professional editing
Responsive Testing	Responsively	Multi-device preview
Animation	Framer Motion	Already integrated
Docs	Storybook	Component showcase
Screenshots	Built-in tools	Platform-specific

Workflow Example

From Idea to Production

Wireframe (5 min)

# ASCII wireframe or Excalidraw
# Quick layout and flow

High-Fidelity Design (30 min)

# Open Penpot
# Use VLN design tokens
# Create mockup with real content

Responsive Mockups (15 min)

# Export designs at different breakpoints
# Mobile: 375px
# Tablet: 768px
# Desktop: 1920px

Development (varies)

cd devops-panel
# Build with Tailwind + Framer Motion
# Use existing VLN components

Testing (10 min)

# Open in Responsively
# Test all breakpoints
# Take screenshots for docs

Documentation (10 min)

# Update design-standards docs
# Add component to Storybook
# Commit with screenshots

Next Steps

Mockup Workflow - Detailed multi-resolution workflow
ASCII Design - Quick wireframing technique
Component Development - Build with VLN system
Prototyping - Interactive prototypes without Figma

Resources

Open Source Design - Community hub
Awesome Design Tools - Curated list
Design Resources for Developers - Massive collection

Design & Prototyping​

Penpot (⭐ Recommended)​

Inkscape​

GIMP​

Mockup & Wireframing​

Excalidraw​

Lunacy​

Multi-Resolution Mockups​

Responsively​

Polypane​

Screenshots & Mockups​

Flameshot (Linux)​

Shottr (macOS)​

ShareX (Windows)​

Browser DevTools​

Chrome/Edge DevTools​

Color & Accessibility​

Color Contrast Checker​

Pika (macOS Color Picker)​

ColorSlurp (macOS/iOS)​

Icon Libraries​

Lucide Icons (Used by VLN)​

Heroicons​

Phosphor Icons​

Typography​

Google Fonts​

Fontsource​

Animation & Interaction​

Framer Motion (Used by VLN)​

LottieFiles​

Documentation & Handoff​

Storybook​

Recommended VLN Stack​

Workflow Example​

From Idea to Production​

Next Steps​

Resources​

Design & Prototyping

Penpot (⭐ Recommended)

Inkscape

GIMP

Mockup & Wireframing

Excalidraw

Lunacy

Multi-Resolution Mockups

Responsively

Polypane

Screenshots & Mockups

Flameshot (Linux)

Shottr (macOS)

ShareX (Windows)

Browser DevTools

Chrome/Edge DevTools

Color & Accessibility

Color Contrast Checker

Pika (macOS Color Picker)

ColorSlurp (macOS/iOS)

Icon Libraries

Lucide Icons (Used by VLN)

Heroicons

Phosphor Icons

Typography

Google Fonts

Fontsource

Animation & Interaction

Framer Motion (Used by VLN)

LottieFiles

Documentation & Handoff

Storybook

Recommended VLN Stack

Workflow Example

From Idea to Production

Next Steps

Resources