Design systems: why they’re not personal and why that’s a good thing.

Designers are the superheroes of the real world, tasked with creating solutions that put people first.

Have you ever encountered a situation where you had a disagreement with a colleague over design principles? Last week, I was in a similar situation when working on a website design project with a fellow designer. It was a great learning experience that reinforced the importance of design systems and guidelines in creating effective designs.

You see, the other designer wanted to change the font size of the content to make it larger, while I followed the Material design 3 guidelines to fix a font height and size. This caused a mild disagreement between us. However, I realized that my colleague’s knowledge of design systems and guidelines might be limited, so I took the opportunity to explain how these guidelines are based on extensive research and testing. Like my friend, you could also get a fresh perspective from this.

It’s essential to understand that design systems and guidelines are critical for consistency and efficiency in design. They provide a shared language and approach for designers to create, iterate, and implement design solutions that are consistent, accessible, and user-friendly. These principles are essential for interaction design, UI design, and UX design to ensure that all design elements work together cohesively to create a seamless user experience.

It’s important to keep in mind that design systems and guidelines are critical in enabling designers to create accessible and cohesive designs that cater to a broad demographic of users. As designers, we have a responsibility to prioritize the needs of our users above our personal preferences, and following design principles is a vital part of this process.

So, the next time you encounter a disagreement over design principles, remember to keep an open mind and understand the reasons behind these guidelines. They are based on extensive research and testing. With a solid foundation in design principles and a strong understanding of design systems and guidelines, you’ll be on your way to excelling in your design career.

As designers, we are the superheroes of the real world, tasked with creating solutions that put people first, and following design systems and guidelines is one of the most effective ways to achieve this.