Set key design principles like typography, color palette, and layout grids to ensure consistency, adaptability, and brand alignment across all platforms and products.
Define Core Principles
Identify the three to five fundamental principles guiding your design system (consistency, scalability, accessibility, efficiency, brand alignment).
Ensure these principles drive component structure, tokenization, and documentation.
Write them in plain language so that all stakeholders can reference them.
Set Up Brand Identity
Standardize logos, typography, icons, illustrations, and UI imagery.
Define acceptable and unacceptable uses of brand assets.
Convert brand colors and typography into tokens to keep everything scalable and consistent.
Ensure Accessibility Compliance
Follow WCAG 2.1 AA+ standards for color contrast, focus indicators, and non-text elements.
Test UI elements for keyboard navigation, motion sensitivity, and screen reader compatibility.
Ensure high contrast mode and color-blind friendly alternatives for important actions.
Create Layout & Grid Rules
Define a 12-column or 8-point grid system for alignment and consistency.
Set breakpoints for mobile, tablet, and desktop to ensure responsiveness.
Establish spacing guidelines (margin, padding, whitespace usage) for layout consistency.
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