A well-structured design system can reduce design time by 50% and ensure consistency across all digital products. Figma offers perfect tools to build one.
Step 1: Design Tokens. Start with fundamentals: colors (primary, secondary, neutrals, semantic), typography (font families, sizes, weights, line-heights), spacing (4px or 8px scale), shadows, border-radius.
Step 2: Primitive Components. Create atomic components: buttons (states: default, hover, active, disabled, loading), inputs, checkboxes, radio buttons, tooltips. Use Variants for all states.
Step 3: Composite Components. Combine primitives into more complex components: cards, forms, modals, navigation bars. Use Auto Layout for flexibility. Document each component's props.
Step 4: Patterns and Templates. Create common patterns: auth flows (login, register, forgot password), data tables, empty states, error states. These accelerate new feature design.
Step 5: Documentation. Each component should be documented: when to use it, when NOT to use it, available props, usage examples, accessibility considerations.
Figma best practices: use Collections for color tokens, Libraries for sharing, Variables for responsive design, Branch & Merge for collaboration, Plugins (Tokens Studio, Contrast) for automation.
Common errors to avoid: over-componentization (don't make a component from everything), lack of naming conventions, ignoring responsive, not updating documentation when components change.
Maintenance: a design system is never 'finished'. Schedule monthly reviews, collect feedback from developers, iterate continuously.
At Softsite, we create design systems that integrate directly with codebases (Figma to React). Request a consultation for your project.
