Design team collaborating on design system elements with laptops and design tools on wooden table

Design System Fundamentals

Building Consistent Design Systems

A well-structured design system is the foundation of scalable user interfaces. It provides consistency, efficiency, and maintainability across your entire application.

Design Tokens

Design tokens are the atomic elements of your design system:

  • Colors: Primary, secondary, semantic colors
  • Typography: Font sizes, weights, line heights
  • Spacing: Margins, paddings, gaps
  • Shadows: Elevation and depth

Implementation Strategy

  1. Start with a small, focused set of tokens
  2. Use CSS custom properties for flexibility
  3. Document everything thoroughly
  4. Test across different devices and themes

Your design system is a living document that evolves with your product.