PROCESS
A FIELD GUIDE TO DESIGN SYSTEMS
(AUTHOR)
LEO MARTIN
(PUBLISHED)
(READING TIME)
9 MIN
(CATEGORY)
PROCESS
ARTICLE COVER — 16:9
(ARTICLE)
Design systems fail when they are built as libraries. They succeed when they are built as languages.
Start with principles
Components are the last thing we design. First come principles, then tokens, then patterns — and only then the building blocks.
Document decisions, not files
A good system explains why a choice was made, so the team can make the next one without us.
The goal is a system that keeps working long after the project ends.