Services : Design Systems

Let’s talk about design systems

Luca D'Incà
Andrea Sichinolfi
Lead UI Designer, Flowe

What are they?

Typography

Color palette

Iconography

Spacing

Layout

Libraries

Think of a design system as a set of rules that help teams work together to build better digital products.

A design system’s rules will define things like typography, color palettes, iconography, spacing, and layout.

Design system also have libraries of pre-made components that designers and developers can use to create new features more quickly.

Typography

Color palette

Iconography

Spacing

Layout

Libraries

Why do people love them?

#1

Design systems make your product more pleasant to use

Picture this: Your app has been around for a while. It started small, but over time you’ve added a bunch of features. Maybe many different designers have worked on it, or maybe even no designers at all. The user interface is getting a little bit messy.

Adopting a design system with a solid set of rules is a good way to stop things from getting out of hand. It gives your product a consistent look and feel on every screen, and helps you deliver a strong brand and a great user experience.

Belka Hand showing number one.
#2

Design systems make life easier for designers and developers

With clear rules for everything from typography to spacing, designers and developers won’t have to reinvent the wheel every time there’s a new feature or some change to an interface.

A library of pre-made, reusable components also makes the process a lot more efficient by freeing teams from having to constantly start from scratch.

Belka Hand showing number two.
#3

Design systems help your team make better decisions

Making design decisions can be difficult. Especially when stakeholders come to the conversation with different ideas, priorities, expectations and backgrounds.

Design systems to the rescue! Having a shared language helps designers, developers, business managers and everyone else on the team communicate, understand each other, and find the best way forward.

Belka Hand showing number three.
#4

Design systems help you scale everything

With a modular and flexible design system, adding new features becomes much faster and easier.

But it’s not just about features: design systems are also easily scaled to accommodate different projects, teams, products, and different stages of a company’s growth and development.

Belka Hand showing number four.
#5

Design systems let you focus on the important stuff

Building and maintaining a digital product requires a lot of energy and resources. By taking care of the basics, design systems let teams spend less time on how to execute the details of a design, and instead give their attention to more high-level creative and strategic considerations.

Belka Hand showing number five.

A shared language and approach to design makes communication easier for all the different stakeholders on a project.

Luca D'Incà
Federica Marian
Product Manager, DaVinci Salute

A shared language and approach to design makes communication easier for all the different stakeholders on a project.

Luca D'Incà
Stefano Bernardi
Cofounder, Redokun
Belka Hand holding a microphone.

A shared language and approach to design makes communication easier for all the different stakeholders on a project.

Luca D'Incà
Stefano Bernardi
Cofounder, Redokun

So, do you need one?

Design systems are great. But not everyone needs them. Check these lists to see if they could help your team.

Belka Dog in a hustle as a business man.

The business

  • You’ve validated your business model, and now you want to grow
  • You have a dedicated team working on your product
  • You want to lower costs and increase efficiency
Belka Dog shaking hands with another Dog.

The team

  • You’d like a smoother, more consistent workflow
  • You’re tired of reinventing the wheel
  • You want better communication between design and development
Belka Dog showing a smartphone.

The product

  • You want a more consistent user experience
  • You’re about to add new features
  • You want your product to better express your brand
Belka Dog saying clearly No!

Not for you if...

  • You’re still looking for a product-market fit
  • You only have one website
  • There’s only one designer on your team
  • You don’t really want to change your process

Are you thinking what we’re thinking?

Nothing bad will happen. (We promise.)