Building a Design System
5 min read
Learn how to build a design system that will help you create better products faster. We’ll cover everything from design tokens to component libraries.
What is a Design System?
A design system is a collection of reusable components, guided by clear standards, that can be assembled together to build any number of applications. It’s more than just a UI kit or pattern library. A design system includes:
- Design principles
- Component library
- Design tokens
- Documentation
- Guidelines
Why Build a Design System?
Building a design system helps teams:
- Work faster and more efficiently
- Maintain consistency across products
- Scale design across multiple platforms
- Improve collaboration between designers and developers
Getting Started
To start building your design system:
- Audit your existing UI
- Define your design tokens
- Create your first components
- Document everything
- Test and iterate
Remember, a design system is never truly finished. It should evolve with your product and team needs.