Consistency, efficiency, and a user-friendly experience are critical components in all aspects of design, from branding to product development. The goal is to establish an efficient and seamless process and a shared, consistent language in order to succeed.
In today's global ecosystem with teams scattered worldwide, the desire to remain synchronized when implementing changes across multiple platforms is more important than ever. However, it could be quite difficult and time-consuming.
To accomplish these objectives, designers, developers, and product teams rely on an invaluable tool known as a Design System. This tool simplifies and streamlines processes. But how does it do that? In this blog, we will delve into what it means, its benefits, and some examples of real design systems.
Design System: The single source of truth
Design systems are like toolkits that keep evolving over time. They consist of reusable components, principles, and guidelines. The main goal of a design system is to ensure cohesive aesthetics and functionality, ensuring smooth and consistent integration when designers and developers create digital products or branding.
The key purpose of a design system is to establish a common language and a standard way of working. This makes it easier to create a seamless and unified user experience, no matter which platforms or devices are being used. A well-crafted design system not only tells designers what and how to create, but also explains the reasons and inspiration behind the design choices.
Imagine a design system to be like a box of colorful LEGO bricks, each in various shapes and sizes. When creating something new, all these different pieces—be they bricks, plates, studs, tiles, or tiny human figurines—interlock perfectly and are reusable. Everything you need is right there, and their measurements and dimensions align perfectly, thanks to a robust design system that's maintained throughout the entire production process.
In the context of a design system, these LEGO pieces represent pre-made elements like buttons, fonts, colors, and icons, which are all ready to use. When designers and developers want to create something new, they can use these pieces from the design system to ensure consistency in the appearance and functionality of their websites, apps, or posters.
Most great design systems include some or all of the following
While there isn't a universally fixed set of components for a design system, there are common elements that the most successful design systems tend to feature.
- Design principles: These are fundamental guidelines that shape the overall design philosophy, driving decision-making processes, user interactions, and the overall aesthetics of the design.
- Design tokens: Design tokens are a set of design variables or parameters defining visual properties such as colors, typography, spacing, and more. They make it easier to maintain consistency across different platforms and media.
- UI Components: This includes a collection of reusable user interface (UI) elements like buttons, modals, navigation tabs, and more. These assets are designed to be visually and technically consistent, enhancing the user experience. They complement each other in terms of design and functionality.
- Documentations: A comprehensive document explains how to use each component and adhere to design system guidelines. This documentation includes best practices for consistent implementation.
Benefits of design systems
There are several advantages that a design system offers for designers and developers.
- Scalability: As products evolve and new features are added, and as the teams expand, design systems keep everything organized and prevent projects from becoming messy as they get larger, all without sacrificing consistency.
- Collaboration: Design systems enable smooth collaboration between design and development teams. The shared language and guidelines foster better communication and understanding.
- Efficiency: Design systems streamline the design and development process, making it more efficient by leveraging pre-built components and guidelines. Additionally, any updates made within a design system automatically apply to all your products, allowing teams to work faster and accomplish more in less time.
- Consistency and brand identity: Reusing the same UI components across all products creates a cohesive user experience that builds trust and familiarity with users, improving usability. This approach enhances brand recognition and maintains a high-quality impression across all products, creating a strong brand presence.
Examples of Design Systems
There are many companies with amazing design systems. Here are several examples of design systems to serve as inspiration:
Google Material Design System, is perhaps one of the most iconic and comprehensive open-source design systems there is. Known for its clarity and simplicity – it covers various design elements like color, shape, typography, animation and more. This system offers a framework with rules, documentation, and UI components for development.
One notable feature is its extensive theming capabilities, enabling designers to understand and customize designs effectively for a consistent user experience on different platforms and devices.
LottieFiles
LottieFiles' design system revolves around the concept of "Thinking in Motion." It exudes a lively and playful vibe, with vibrant and cheerful colors that mirror the brand's mission to bring joy and creativity into the world of animation.
The typography strikes a delightful balance between simplicity and legibility. It maintains a modern and versatile aesthetic, while still feeling approachable and friendly to both technical and creative audiences.
As a company deeply rooted in animation, LottieFiles doesn't limit movement to just its branding; even static shapes serve as foundational elements of motion. The design system embodies a sense of fluidity, allowing each element to be combined in various ways to spark innovation and imagination and evoke a dynamic sense of motion.
Mailchimp Design System
Mailchimp has definitely come a long way from its renowned email marketing days. Their Design system showcases a bold and expressive design, incorporating playful humor and whimsical illustrations. This colorful identity permeates their design system, which is undeniably a work of art.
The Mailchimp Pattern Library consists of two key sections: foundations and components, both offering comprehensive guidelines for crafting a clear and compelling data story. There's no monkeying around when it comes to their documentation; it is meticulously created to maintain visual appeal across various contexts. It includes precise instructions and illustrative examples to maximize the utility of each component.
Uber
Uber's design system comprises nine core elements: logo, color, composition, iconography, illustration, motion, photography, tone of voice, and typography. This system offers flexibility and ease of use, ensuring brand consistency across sub-brands, applications, and assets. Additionally, Uber has introduced Base Web, an open-source toolkit of components and utilities that align with the Base Design System, allowing for extensive customization.
Uber's emphasis on movement, integral to its services such as ride-hailing, food delivery, and micro-mobility, has influenced its design system structure. To maintain efficiency across sub-brands, internal projects, and products, Uber has prioritized an effective design system. Base Web, a part of this system, enables the rapid development of web applications while adhering to reliability, accessibility, and customization.
Add motion to your design system
Now that you've learned all about the design system and how it functions, why not think about adding some movement to your design system? It might seem a bit challenging, but it's actually simpler than you might imagine. Take a look at this article to find out why and how designers can add motion into their design systems to enhance user experience. Once you have the basics in place, you'll be pleasantly surprised by how creative and fun you can make your system with a bit of motion magic.
