A design system does not begin with buttons

A component library only works when it is supported by shared principles, language, and a clear decision-making process.

Agree on principles first

Before designing another button, agree on what matters: information density, accessibility, speed, or emotional character. Principles help prevent a random collection of components.

Define your tokens

Colors, sizing, spacing, corner radii, and type styles need meaningful roles. Instead of hardcoding “green-500” throughout an app, use semantic tokens for success states or accents. That makes a theme easier to evolve without changing every screen.

States matter more than perfect mockups

A working component should cover hover, focus, errors, loading, disabled and empty states. Defining these early prevents surprises during implementation.

Test in context

Components become a system when they handle different text lengths, small screens, keyboard navigation, and actual user data. A polished UI kit alone cannot guarantee that.

Maintain, don't collect

Every component should earn its place. Removing duplicates and revisiting outdated decisions matters just as much as adding new ones.

You can check a color pair using our free contrast tool. Or, if you'd rather start by outlining the project, prepare a brief.