Problem:
Designing without a system can get messy fast.
You waste time. You repeat work. Your app or website looks different on every page.
Without a design system, your project feels slow and confusing.

Agitate:
Imagine this — you spend hours making a button look right.
Then next week, someone else designs a button that looks different. Now the app looks broken.
Or worse, the developers don't know what version to code.
Everyone is frustrated.
You lose time, money, and trust.

Solution:
Good news: You can fix this by building a simple design system in Figma.
Figma makes it easy to create and share design rules with your whole team.
Let’s walk through it step-by-step.

Step 1: Know What You Need

Before opening Figma, stop and think.

Ask:

• Who is this design system for?

• What will it cover? (Website? Mobile app?)

• Will it need to grow later?

A design system should include:

• Colors

• Fonts (text styles)

• Buttons, forms, cards

• Icons

• Rules on how to use everything

Write down your plan first.
This will help you stay on track.

Step 2: Set Up Your Basics

Open Figma. Start by setting up your basic styles.

Colors:
Pick your main colors (like blue for buttons, gray for backgrounds).
Make light, dark, and hover versions too.
Save them in Figma’s Color Styles.

Fonts:
Pick the fonts you will use. Set sizes for headers, body text, and small labels.
Save these as Text Styles in Figma.

Grids and Spacing:
Set a grid to help you line things up.
Use simple spacing rules, like keeping padding in multiples of 8 pixels.

Tip:
Naming your styles clearly (like "Primary Button Blue" or "H1 Heading Bold") saves lots of time later.

Step 3: Make Components

Now create small building blocks called Components.

Start with:

• Buttons (normal, hover, disabled)

• Form fields (inputs, checkboxes, dropdowns)

• Cards (content blocks)

• Navigation bars (menus)

Use Variants in Figma to group similar items.
Example: One button with different states (hover, active, disabled).

Why?
This way you don’t need to design the same button five times.
One change updates everything!

Step 4: Organize Your File

Keep your file clean.
Use pages like:

• Foundations (colors, fonts)

• Components (buttons, forms)

• Patterns (navigation bars, cards)

• Templates (full pages)

Label everything clearly.
Messy files waste time.

Step 5: Share Your Library

After you build your system, share it.

In Figma:

• Go to Assets

• Click Publish Styles and Components

Now everyone on your team can use your design system.
If you update a button or color, it updates everywhere.

This keeps the whole team on the same page.

Step 6: Write Simple Rules

Design systems need clear instructions.

Write:

• How to use colors

• When to use each button

• How spacing works

You can add these rules in Figma itself or use tools like Notion.

Clear rules = less confusion.

Step 7: Keep It Alive

A design system is never done.

Every few weeks:

• Add new components if needed

• Fix things that don’t work

• Remove old stuff

Ask your team for feedback.
The better you maintain it, the faster everyone can work.

Final Thoughts

A design system in Figma makes design faster, easier, and cleaner.
Start simple. Set up your colors, fonts, and components. Share your system.
Keep improving it over time.

It’s not just for big companies — even small teams save time with a good system.

Ready to build yours? Open Figma and start today!