How a brand kit stays alive after launch
A brand kit stays alive when one person owns changes and the files live where the team already works. A zip file in a chat thread will fork.
By Hanabi
Topic
Design systems
Tokens, components, and the few decisions that keep a product coherent.
Icons and illustration as part of the system
Pick one stroke, one grid, and a limit on what icons may depict. Mixing three downloaded styles makes a product look assembled rather than designed.
By Hanabi
Dark mode as a system decision
Dark mode is a second set of color decisions, planned with the light palette. A filter at the end inverts the product instead of designing the pairs.
By Hanabi
Documenting components so the next engineer does not guess
Component documentation should record states and the uses to avoid. A picture of the happy path leaves the next engineer guessing.
By Hanabi
When a startup needs a design system
A startup needs a design system when a second designer or a second product would invent a parallel style. Until then, a disciplined Figma file is enough.
By Hanabi
Component libraries that match the brand
A component library matches the brand when type, color, and the few repeated controls come from the product. A default kit still looks like the kit.
By Hanabi
Tokens, type, and the decisions that stop visual drift
Design tokens are named decisions for color, type, and size. Visual drift starts when a screen pastes a one-off value instead of using the name.
By Hanabi
A design system for a team of five
A design system for a team of five is type, color, space, and a few shared components. Keep it small enough that the team uses it while shipping the product.
By Hanabi