Yeah, I think the best way to think about the frames is "do we already have a mold for this piece / have we done the engineering for it" if so then it's not new, just a new colorway.
According to the article, a new color requires spending a frame:
> Want a part in a different color? That costs designers a frame. A new piece? Spend some frames. Bring back an old out-of-print piece? That’s a frame, too.
This makes sense, since a new color requires dedicated storage space (which frames are intended to control).
