How Do You Make a Design System in Figma?

Design systems have become an integral part of the design process, helping teams to create cohesive, consistent experiences across a variety of platforms. Figma is a popular design platform that allows teams to collaborate on projects in real-time. It also provides powerful tools for creating highly detailed and organized design systems—but how do you make one?

Start with the Basics

The first step in creating a design system in Figma is to establish the basic elements that will be used throughout your system. This includes colors, typography, shapes, and other visual elements. These should be based on your brand’s visual identity, but also consider how they will work together across different platforms.

Define Your Components

The next step is to define the components that will be used consistently throughout your design system. Components can be anything from buttons and forms to navigation menus and headlines.

As you create components, pay close attention to how they are structured—this will help ensure consistency across all of your projects. You can also use Figma’s component library feature to store and share reusable elements between projects.

Organize Your Content

Once you have established the basics and defined your components, it’s time to organize your content into logical sections or categories. For example, you might create separate sections for colors, typography, buttons, forms, etc. This will make it easier for designers to find what they need when building out projects in Figma.

Set Guidelines & Standards

Finally, it’s important to establish some guidelines and standards for using the design system within Figma. Establishing naming conventions (e.g., “Buttons_Primary_Large”) can help ensure that everyone is on the same page when it comes to working with the system. Additionally, setting up rules around how components should be used can help ensure that designs stay consistent across projects.

Conclusion:

Creating a design system in Figma is an essential part of any project—it helps teams create cohesive experiences across different platforms quickly and efficiently. To make a successful design system in Figma start by establishing the basics (colors, typography), then define components (buttons, forms), organize content into logical sections/categories before finally setting up guidelines and standards for using the system within Figma.