Design Dilemma Solved: The Guide to Distinguishing Design Guides from Design Systems
Introduction:
In today’s digital world, design is an essential element of any product or service. Design guides and design systems are two tools that are used to ensure consistency and quality in the design process. Both have their own unique characteristics and are used for different purposes. However, it is common for people to perceive a design guide as a design system. In this article, we will explore the differences between a design guide and a design system and how commonly people perceive design guides as design systems.
Let's understand this from a story:
Once upon a time, there was a little girl named Sarah who loved to color. One day, she wanted to color a picture of a beautiful flower garden. But she didn’t know what colors to use or where to put them. That’s when she found a special book called a design guide. It showed her what colors to use and where to put them to make her picture look pretty. Then, she found a big box of crayons called a design system that had many different colors she could use to create her own pretty flower garden picture.
What's a Design Guide?
A design guide is a document that outlines the design principles, guidelines, and best practices for a specific project or product. It is a set of rules and guidelines that designers should follow to ensure consistency in design elements, such as typography, color, and spacing. A design guide is typically created at the beginning of a project and is used as a reference throughout the design process. Design guides are often created at the beginning of a project and are used as a reference throughout the design process. They provide designers with a set of rules and guidelines to follow to ensure consistency in design elements such as typography, color, and spacing. Design guides are typically created for a specific project and are not meant to be used for multiple projects.
If that is so then what is the need for a design System?
On the other hand, a design system is a comprehensive collection of design elements, patterns, and components that are used to create a consistent visual language across multiple products and platforms. A design system includes not only visual elements but also guidelines for interaction design, typography, and other design-related topics. It is a living document that evolves over time and is used as a reference for multiple projects. A design system includes not only visual elements but also guidelines for interaction design, typography, and other design-related topics. It is a living document that evolves over time and is used as a reference for multiple projects.
Design systems also include code snippets, components, and other tools to make it easier for designers and developers to implement consistent designs.
Let's understand this from an Example:
A design guide is like a set of rules for a coloring book. It tells you which colors to use and where to use them to make your picture look neat and pretty.
A design system is like a big box of crayons. It has many different colors and tools that you can use to create many different pictures that all look like they belong together.
For example, imagine you want to color a princess picture. The design guide would tell you that the princess should have a pink dress, and a yellow crown and her hair should be brown. The design system would give you many options to color the princess such as different shades of pink, yellow and brown.
It’s like if you have a recipe for a cake and the design guide is the list of ingredients and instructions on how to make that specific cake, while the design system is a big cookbook with many different recipes and ingredients that you can use to make many different cakes.
The reason they are perceived as the same?
One of the main reasons why people perceive design guides as design systems is that both are used to ensure consistency in design. However, a design guide is typically created for a specific project, while a design system is created for multiple projects and platforms. A design guide is a set of rules and guidelines, while a design system is a comprehensive collection of design elements and patterns.
Conclusion:
Design guides and design systems are two essential tools used in the design process. Both are used to ensure consistency and quality in design, but they serve different purposes. A design guide is a document that outlines the design principles, guidelines, and best practices for a specific project or product, while a design system is a comprehensive collection of design elements, patterns, and components that are used to create a consistent visual language across multiple products and platforms. It is crucial to understand the difference between the two to be able to use them efficiently in the design process.
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