Lifecycles of Design Systems
WHAT IS A DESIGN SYSTEM?
A design system is more than just a style guide—it's your brand’s central source of truth. Think of it like a recipe book for your entire online presence. Every reusable component, from color palettes and typography to button styles, helps your team stay on the same page. It’s no longer about ad-hoc design decisions; it’s about cultivating consistency and scalability in everything you create.
Design systems aren’t just for huge companies. They’re beneficial even if you're running a small studio or a solo operation. By documenting your visual language in one place, you save time, avoid design debt, and keep your user experience looking and feeling cohesive across all touchpoints.
A design system is more than just a style guide—it's your brand’s central source of truth. Think of it like a recipe book for your entire online presence. Every reusable component, from color palettes and typography to button styles, helps your team stay on the same page. It’s no longer about ad-hoc design decisions; it’s about cultivating consistency and scalability in everything you create.
Design systems aren’t just for huge companies. They’re beneficial even if you're running a small studio or a solo operation. By documenting your visual language in one place, you save time, avoid design debt, and keep your user experience looking and feeling cohesive across all touchpoints.
CORE ELEMENTS
Crafting a design system involves a careful blend of visual and functional components.
Here are some of the fundamentals:
Color & Typography – Define a palette that resonates with your brand and select fonts that reflect your personality.
Component Library – Buttons, cards, forms—anything you’ll reuse across projects. Standardizing them ensures consistency.
Spacing & Layout – Decide how elements align or how much whitespace you prefer for a polished look.
Guidelines & Documentation – Clearly explain how and when to use each component so everyone stays on track.
Whether you’re using a tool like Framer or a traditional design app, maintaining a clear documentation process keeps your system uncluttered and easy to update.
Crafting a design system involves a careful blend of visual and functional components.
Here are some of the fundamentals:
Color & Typography – Define a palette that resonates with your brand and select fonts that reflect your personality.
Component Library – Buttons, cards, forms—anything you’ll reuse across projects. Standardizing them ensures consistency.
Spacing & Layout – Decide how elements align or how much whitespace you prefer for a polished look.
Guidelines & Documentation – Clearly explain how and when to use each component so everyone stays on track.
Whether you’re using a tool like Framer or a traditional design app, maintaining a clear documentation process keeps your system uncluttered and easy to update.
MAINTAINING CONSISTENCY
After the initial setup, the real challenge is governance—ensuring your design system remains accurate as your brand evolves. Changes happen: maybe you add a new accent color or adjust typography for better readability. The key is to have a straightforward process for updating the system and communicating those changes to your team.
Some best practices for staying consistent:
Schedule regular audits to catch outdated assets or components.
Involve both designers and developers early so everyone’s aligned on updates.
Encourage feedback—if a particular element isn’t working, tweak or remove it.
In other words, treat your design system as a living product rather than a static document. This mindset helps you adapt faster to new trends, user needs, or brand pivots, without losing your visual identity in the process.
— Building and maintaining a design system may sound like extra work at first, but it pays off by keeping your brand identity rock-solid and your team more efficient. You’ll have a single hub where everyone can access the same components and guidelines, ensuring that every new project feels unmistakably “you.”
Check out this guide on how easy it is to apply these systems in Framer
After the initial setup, the real challenge is governance—ensuring your design system remains accurate as your brand evolves. Changes happen: maybe you add a new accent color or adjust typography for better readability. The key is to have a straightforward process for updating the system and communicating those changes to your team.
Some best practices for staying consistent:
Schedule regular audits to catch outdated assets or components.
Involve both designers and developers early so everyone’s aligned on updates.
Encourage feedback—if a particular element isn’t working, tweak or remove it.
In other words, treat your design system as a living product rather than a static document. This mindset helps you adapt faster to new trends, user needs, or brand pivots, without losing your visual identity in the process.
— Building and maintaining a design system may sound like extra work at first, but it pays off by keeping your brand identity rock-solid and your team more efficient. You’ll have a single hub where everyone can access the same components and guidelines, ensuring that every new project feels unmistakably “you.”
Check out this guide on how easy it is to apply these systems in Framer
After the initial setup, the real challenge is governance—ensuring your design system remains accurate as your brand evolves. Changes happen: maybe you add a new accent color or adjust typography for better readability. The key is to have a straightforward process for updating the system and communicating those changes to your team.
Some best practices for staying consistent:
Schedule regular audits to catch outdated assets or components.
Involve both designers and developers early so everyone’s aligned on updates.
Encourage feedback—if a particular element isn’t working, tweak or remove it.
In other words, treat your design system as a living product rather than a static document. This mindset helps you adapt faster to new trends, user needs, or brand pivots, without losing your visual identity in the process.
— Building and maintaining a design system may sound like extra work at first, but it pays off by keeping your brand identity rock-solid and your team more efficient. You’ll have a single hub where everyone can access the same components and guidelines, ensuring that every new project feels unmistakably “you.”
Check out this guide on how easy it is to apply these systems in Framer
After the initial setup, the real challenge is governance—ensuring your design system remains accurate as your brand evolves. Changes happen: maybe you add a new accent color or adjust typography for better readability. The key is to have a straightforward process for updating the system and communicating those changes to your team.
Some best practices for staying consistent:
Schedule regular audits to catch outdated assets or components.
Involve both designers and developers early so everyone’s aligned on updates.
Encourage feedback—if a particular element isn’t working, tweak or remove it.
In other words, treat your design system as a living product rather than a static document. This mindset helps you adapt faster to new trends, user needs, or brand pivots, without losing your visual identity in the process.
— Building and maintaining a design system may sound like extra work at first, but it pays off by keeping your brand identity rock-solid and your team more efficient. You’ll have a single hub where everyone can access the same components and guidelines, ensuring that every new project feels unmistakably “you.”
Check out this guide on how easy it is to apply these systems in Framer
[CONCLUSION]
[CONCLUSION]
[CONCLUSION]
A design system is only as strong as the team that nurtures it. Keep it flexible, keep it documented, and watch your brand shine.
A design system is only as strong as the team that nurtures it. Keep it flexible, keep it documented, and watch your brand shine.
Jorge Zamora
Jorge Zamora
Jorge Zamora
[Head of Design]
[Head of Design]
[Head of Design]
