When a new designer joins a team, what’s one of the first things they ask? “Where can I find the brand colors?” or “Which button should I use?”
Now imagine if every designer, developer, and project manager had to ask these same questions every single time.
It would be confusing, slow, and stressful. That’s where design systems come in.
In design, teamwork is everything. And design systems make that teamwork possible.
In this blog, we’ll talk about:
- What a design system is
- The problems it can solve
- How to know when your team needs one
- And what to think about before building your own
Whether you’re new to design or part of a busy team, this guide will help you understand why a design system is one of the smartest things you can create.
What is a design system?
A design system is a collection of guidelines, components, and tools that help designers and developers work together more easily and consistently.
It is essential that a design system communicates not just the “What” but the “How” and “Why”.
A design system can be made up of two main components:
- Style Guide
- Component ( Pattern ) Library
What is a Style Guide?
A style guide is a set of standards that define the appearance of elements and their overall voice and tone.
They focus on the visual language of the product that is, how things should look and feel.
Some examples of elements we can have in a style guide are color and typography.
What is a Component or Pattern Library
Components libraries contain the building blocks of a product. This might include individual components, layouts , templates and interaction patterns.
They focus on how assets should behave in a product.
NB: There is no ideal design system, different companies have different needs that fits different solutions.
When should you implement a design system?
There is no straight answer of when to implement a design system, however we can make informed decisions after understanding the benefits of a design system, challenges that come with design systems and what solutions design systems can bring to an organization.
Benefits of using a design system
- Design systems allow teams to do more with less not just when it comes to prototyping and designing features but also when it comes to real world experiences.
Designers spend less time remaking components and focus on more solving design problems.
This increases efficiency and the overall design output.
2. In the case of onboarding new teammates, a design system can be used as an onboarding resource that allows new team mates to contribute sooner.
3. It provides teams with a shared vision and language that leads to a better understanding and more consistent product.
4. They also help developers when building, ensuring that the designers and developers are on thesame page.
5. Most importantly, design systems also contribute to the overall experience of the client . Consistency, Usability and Accessibility build trust in the product and can lead to a more engaged and loyal customer base in the long run.
Signs That You Need a Design System
1. You’re struggling with consistency
- Do styles, components, and behaviors look or act differently across the product?
- Are you building for multiple brands or products that need to feel unified?
2. You’re managing multiple themes or devices
- Are you designing for both light and dark mode?
- Are you creating experiences for different devices like laptops, tablets, and phones?
3. You’re facing issues with knowledge sharing
- How long does it take to onboard new teammates with the design or dev info they need?
- Is it easy to find answers to product-related questions?
- Does your team use a shared language to talk about design and solve problems together?
4. Your workflow feels slow or disconnected
- How much time do you spend creating or prototyping things from scratch?
- Are your design and dev teams in sync, or constantly clarifying things?
- How do you know if your designs are up to date?
- At which points in the product cycle would better speed and clarity make a real difference?
If you answered “yes” to most of these questions or even paused to think about them, it might be time to consider a design system.
Still confused?
Perform an Audit
Why Audits?
A design audit is like a health check for your product.
It helps you pause, look at everything you’ve built so far, and ask: Is this working well?
It opens up useful conversations, helps spot problems, and gives you a clear picture of where your product stands.
How to Perform a Design Audit
- Gather everything that exists
Start by collecting all the design pieces in your product — even the small ones.
Look at:
- Colors and fonts
- Text styles and headings
- Icons and illustrations
- Buttons, dropdowns, forms
- Layout patterns and interactions
- Loading screens, empty states, error messages
Also, walk through the product like a user. Capture things you might miss at first glance, like hover states, warning messages, or tiny details that appear during interaction.
2. Sort and categorize
Once you’ve gathered everything, organize it.
Group similar things together all buttons in one section, all text styles in another, and so on. This makes it easier to compare and spot inconsistencies.
3. Analyze and identify patterns
Now, it’s time to study what you’ve collected:
- Are there too many versions of the same thing (like five different button styles)?
- Are things accessible? Think beyond just color contrast — is text readable? Are elements easy to interact with on all devices?
- Where can things be simplified or improved?
The goal here isn’t just to clean up. It’s to understand what’s working, what’s not, and where a design system could make a real difference.
A proper audit gives you a full picture of your product’s design and helps lay the foundation for a strong, useful design system.
Designing a Design System
1. Approval
Before anything else, you need buy-in.
Get support from your team, leadership, or stakeholders. Help them understand the value of a design system — how it saves time, improves consistency, and helps everyone work better together.
2. Discovery
This is the research phase.
Look at what already exists in your product. What’s working? What’s not? Talk to designers, developers, and product managers. Understand their pain points. This is also a good time to perform a design audit (like we mentioned earlier).
3. Definition
Now that you’ve gathered information, define what your design system will include.
Which components are most needed? What rules and guidelines do you want to set?
This step helps you decide what the system should cover — and how far it should go.
4. Building
Time to bring it to life.
Start creating your components, styles, and patterns. This might be in design tools like Figma or in code libraries for developers. Start small if needed — even a button and a color guide can be a solid start.
5. Documentation
Good design systems don’t just live in files — they’re explained clearly.
Write simple, helpful documentation so anyone on the team can understand how to use the system. Explain when to use certain components, how to apply styles, and how to keep things consistent.
6. Maintenance
A design system isn’t “done” once it’s built.
You’ll need to update it as the product changes. That means fixing bugs, improving components, and removing things that are no longer useful. Keep it fresh and relevant.
7. Advocacy
Finally, help others use and love the system.
Share it with the team. Teach people how to use it. Celebrate the small wins — like when someone uses a new component correctly. The more your team understands its value, the more they’ll support and use it.
One Last Thing: It’s Not Always Linear
You don’t have to follow these steps in perfect order. You might go back to discovery after building, or revisit documentation during maintenance. And that’s okay — building a design system is an ongoing journey, not a checklist.
Things to Consider Before Building a Design System
1. Who will contribute to the system?
- Who in the organization has valuable input?
- How many people will it take to actually build and maintain this system?
- Do we have enough people to do the work without overloading anyone?
2. Who will use the system?
- Design systems aren’t just for designers. Will developers, marketers, or product managers use it too?
- How often will people use the system in their daily work?
- Are there team members we haven’t considered yet, like contractors or freelancers?
3. What is their experience level?
- Have the users worked with a design system before?
- Will they need training or support to use it properly?
4. What is the feedback process?
- How will people share suggestions or report issues with the system?
- Is there a plan to improve the system based on feedback?
5. How does this fit into company goals?
- Does building a design system support the company’s big-picture goals?
- Will it help improve speed, consistency, or team collaboration?
6. What resources are available?
- How much time do team members realistically have to contribute?
- What level of support is leadership willing to give?
- Are there tools or budgets needed to make it happen?
Taking time to think through these questions helps set clear expectations, avoid surprises, and build a design system that actually works for your team. It’s not just about design — it’s about people, priorities, and planning smart.
Implementation
When it comes to building a design system, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach. You can either start with something that already exists or create your own from scratch. Each option has its pros and cons — it just depends on your team’s needs, resources, and goals.
1. Using an Existing (Generic) Design System
This means starting with a system that’s already been built — like Google’s Material Design or IBM’s Carbon Design.
- Solves general problems that many teams face
- Faster to get started — no need to build from scratch
- Budget-friendly, great for smaller teams or early-stage projects
- May not fit perfectly with your product or brand
- Less flexibility when customizing components or styles
2. Building a Custom Design System
This means creating your own design system tailored to your brand, product, and team.
- Solves specific problems your team faces
- Fully customized to match your brand, tone, and workflow
- More control over components, patterns, and rules
- Takes more time, effort, and planning
- Requires more resources from design, development, and leadership
No matter which route you take, the most important thing is making sure your design system actually helps your team — not just adds more work. Choose the option that fits your current stage, team size, and goals.
Thank you for reading till the end, I hope you now know what a design system is, if your team needs one and how it can be implemented.
Let’s show the world what we can do using design systems and through design.