Is this the same business I looked at last time? But this looks completely different from the advertising banner I clicked on? In this article, we will look at what a design system is, and how it can help you achieve a holistic visual identity for your business.

What is a design system?

A design system is a collection of standardized design elements used in all communications across an organization. This can include everything from colors and typography to images, icons, and illustrations. It provides guidelines, principles, and resources that ensure design is consistent and user-friendly.

The system or template should act as a visual guide to help you build communications that work across different platforms and devices, whether it's websites, annual reports, or advertising.

Why do you need a design system?

A design manual provides you with a simple and effective way to maintain a consistent visual identity for your business. When you have a design system in place, you can be sure that everything you create is in line with the brand you are trying to build.

The creative process itself with various external partners also gets more direction. You know how things should look, and it becomes easier to say yes and no to different visual expressions. You avoid unnecessary discussions.

Having a shared understanding of how things should look is especially important for large organizations where there are many communication initiatives, and potentially many that want to “have their own twist.” With a well-communicated design system, you have a tool that helps the entire organization maintain brand identity.

How to create a design system

There is a lot of work that should be in place before you start working on a design system. You need to have audience insight and a plan for how you will differentiate yourself from your competitors. There are good processes for this, so don't skip those phases.

To create the design system itself, you need to identify all the elements you need. Colors, typography, images, icons, illustrations, and maybe even sound? Once you've identified all the elements, you need to standardize them and organize them in a logical way that's easy for everyone to use. Everyone who works on design for your company needs to be able to use the design manual effectively.

Colors

Colors are an important part of any design system. Colors = emotions and much of brand identity is tied to the use of color. If a soda can is red, you don't need to read it to know what soda it is.

Now, not many brands manage to become as recognizable as Coca Cola, but the trust you create through consistent use of color is important for all brands.

Choosing colors is a challenging task, as different colors have different associations and can affect how your target audience perceives your brand. Some factors to consider when choosing colors for your design system include:

brand personality
the personality of the target audience
the industry you operate in
cultural meanings and associations

It is also important to think about how the colors are used. 8% of Norwegian men are color blind and it is therefore not wise to use red/green as indications of choice.

Typography

It’s important to choose a typography that is easy to read and works well with other design elements in the system. But fonts also help shape the brand. A sans serif font, meaning those little “feet” on the letters, often gives a modern and clean feel, which can be a good fit for brands that want to appear innovative, while for brands that are more traditional and want to convey trust, serifs may be a better choice.

Don't forget to think about where customers and users encounter your fonts: Sans serif fonts can be easier to read on smaller screen sizes, such as on mobile phones and tablets, while serif typography can be easier to read on larger screen sizes and printed materials, because serifs help guide the eyes from letter to letter and from line to line.

Images, icons and illustrations

Images and illustrations can be a great way to communicate ideas and concepts in a visual way. But remember that a picture is worth a thousand words, so you should make sure that they are the right words and that you are not using 1000 words where one would have been enough. For example, images in menus can be very distracting. Unless you are at a slightly bad restaurant in the south. Icons work better.

When choosing icons and illustrations for your design system, you should consider both style and functionality. The style should be consistent with the rest of the design elements in your system, and easy for users to recognize and understand. The graphic elements should enhance the user experience and clarify the information being presented.

Be sure to document and anchor how the icons and illustrations will be used in the design system, such as size, colors, and contextual uses, so that everyone on your team can use them consistently.

Ask us about design system

If you need help getting your brand down on paper and into a framework you can use in practice, we are more than willing to help, as long as you are also willing to take the task seriously and give your customers and organization something they can be proud of.

The design strategy gives us a perfect foundation for design development. We help you create a visual identity with a graphic toolbox.

Send us an email at hello@mission.no or call us at 24 10 35 00