Design Systems in Figma

Key Concepts

• Design Tokens
• Components
• Styles
• Libraries

Design Tokens

Design Tokens are the fundamental units of a design system that represent specific visual attributes such as colors, spacing, and typography. These tokens are stored as variables in Figma, allowing designers to maintain consistency across different elements of a design. For example, a color token might represent the primary brand color, which can be reused across buttons, text, and backgrounds.

Think of Design Tokens as the building blocks of a design system, similar to the LEGO bricks that can be used to construct various structures while maintaining a consistent look and feel.

Components

Components are reusable elements within a design system, such as buttons, cards, and navigation bars. In Figma, components can be created once and then duplicated and modified as needed. This ensures that all instances of a component share the same base properties, making it easier to update and maintain consistency across a design.

Consider Components as the prefabricated parts of a model kit. Once you assemble a part, you can replicate it multiple times, and any changes to the original part will be reflected in all its instances, ensuring uniformity.

Styles

Styles in Figma are predefined sets of visual properties that can be applied to text, shapes, and other elements. These styles include properties like color, font, and stroke. By using styles, designers can ensure that their design elements adhere to a consistent visual language. For example, a text style might define the font family, size, and color for headings, which can be applied to multiple text elements.

Think of Styles as the paint schemes and decals for a model kit. Once you define a style, you can apply it to various parts of your design, ensuring a cohesive appearance.

Libraries

Libraries in Figma are collections of components, styles, and design tokens that can be shared across multiple projects. By creating a library, teams can ensure that all projects use the same design system, making it easier to maintain consistency and collaboration. Libraries can be updated centrally, and the changes will automatically propagate to all projects that use the library.

Consider Libraries as the toolboxes that contain all the necessary parts and instructions for building a model kit. By sharing this toolbox, everyone on the team can work on different projects while using the same set of standardized components and styles.