Crafting a Consistent UI Style Guide
Emily White
A style guide, or design system, ensures brand consistency, speeds up design and development workflows, and creates a more cohesive user experience. This article walks you through the process of creating one from scratch. We will cover defining your color palette, typography scales, spacing rules, and iconography. We'll also discuss how to document components, from basic buttons to complex data tables, and how to make this guide a living document that evolves with your product. We'll look at tools like Storybook and Figma for building and sharing your design system with your team.
Components of a Style Guide:
- Brand Identity: Logo usage, color palette, voice and tone.
- Typography: Font families, weights, sizes, and line heights.
- UI Components: Buttons, forms, modals, navigation, etc.
- Layout & Spacing: Grid systems and spacing units.