Do you have a Design System?
Updated by Tiago Araújo [SSW] 16 days ago. See history
When every button looks a little different, spacing feels off, and handoffs between design and dev are painful, you know something's wrong.
A design system can fix all of that, aligning everyone around a shared language and providing the tools to build faster and better. It avoids inconsistent UI, longer review cycles, and time spent debating minor visual tweaks.
Key components
A solid design system should include:
- Style guide and design values/tokens – Brand guidelines, color variables, typography, iconography, spacing grids, and accessibility guidance
- Component library – Reusable UI elements like buttons or inputs, built in your design tool with variants and usage guidance. May include page templates and broader patterns
- Documentation – Guidelines for component usage, do’s and don’ts, examples and demos
- Design system governance – Clear ownership of the design system, a contribution process, tools for dev handover, and semantic versioning to manage updates
Design tokens are reusable values that define your system’s design language in a format that both designers and developers can use—ensuring consistency and simplifying updates across your product ecosystem.
Why it works
- One source of truth – Everyone (designers, developers, POs, QA) works from the same playbook, avoiding continuous rework and reducing inconsistency. Changes are made in one place which scales across projects
- Faster build time – Shared components and patterns boost delivery speed
- Accessibility baked-in – Standards like contrast, keyboard nav, and screen-reader support come by default
- Fewer subjective debates – Shared standards help teams align faster
Signs you’re due for a Design System
- Spacing, fonts, or colors shift between screens for no reason
- Handoffs and review meetings are dominated by nitpicking visual issues
- Design doesn’t match production
- Style guides are outdated, scattered, or missing entirely
Real-world examples
- Material Design (Google)
Theming, deep docs, and ready-to-use code - Polaris (Shopify)
Design, content, and accessibility all-in-one - Carbon (IBM)
Enterprise-level, open source, and WCAG-compliant - Atlassian Design System
Includes tokens, patterns, tone of voice, and code
Design System maturity: From Library to Ecosystem
Design systems don’t need to be fully built from day one. There are different levels of implementation depending on the maturity of the team/product.
Most teams don't start with a full design system — they start small with just a few shared components and evolve over time.
Since “design system” is often used loosely, this table helps clarify where your team sits and what to aim for next:
| Stage | Description |
| 1. Design Library | A shared file (e.g. Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD) with consistent styles and reusable components like buttons and inputs. |
| 2. Documented System | Adds usage guidelines, naming conventions, do's and don'ts, accessibility considerations, and basic governance (who owns updates). |
| 3. Design–Dev Alignment | Design tokens are mapped to code, creating a shared language between design and development for color, spacing, and other foundational styles. |
| 4. Coded Components | Components exist in code (e.g. Storybook) and match the Design Library. |
| 5. Scalable Ecosystem | Includes formal governance processes, versioning, contribution model, changelogs, multi-product usage. Often has its own site or portal. |
Start small in 7 steps
- Audit your UI – Look for visual and structural inconsistencies
- Define tokens – Start with color, spacing, and typography
- Build your first components – Focus on core UI elements (i.e. header, footer, buttons, input fields)
- Integrate tokens – Start with simple design tokens in your design tool, then explore code integration tools like Style Dictionary as your system matures
- Document as you go – Add usage rules, visual examples, and versioning
- Share internally – Use demos and changelogs to get buy-in
- Govern wisely – Assign owners, plan updates, and gradually layer in code
Quick-start tip: Kick off with a shared library (e.g. Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD) and key components to provide value, then expand.