Scale up your design and development process. Design System

Designer working on a design system in Figma.

Make your design process scalable.

More and more organisations are using a Design System to build digital services and products. With a Design System, you can design faster and build better. You’ll have more time for research. Your brand experience will become more consistent. Your accessibility gets a boost – and we could go on and on.

So if you’re going to invest in anything in the near future, let it be a Design System. 

Curious to find out how a design system could work in your organisation?

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Overview of components in the NS (Nessie) design system.
A preview of Nessie – the Design System we created for NS.

What exactly is a Design System?

There are many different definitions of a Design System. But as far as we’re concerned, it’s this:

A Design System is a way of working. It clarifies the approach to developing interfaces within an organisation and the processes to be followed. It simplifies and streamlines collaboration between designers, developers, marketers and other stakeholders.

A Design System is a toolbox, an organised library of reusable components. It contains code, design and guidelines – for example, on accessibility, typography, colour schemes, components, patterns and templates.

Preview of Brandshift, the design system we designed for Randstad.
A preview of Brandshift – the Design System we created for Randstad.

This is how we build your Design System

The quality of your Design System stands or falls on the way it is developed. There are various approaches and different ways of working. Broadly speaking, this is how we go about it:

  1. Assemble a team

    You need a team of experts. The name 'Design System' might give the impression that it is all design, but that is not the case: development plays just as big a role.

  2. Inventorize

    Is there a style guide? Which components are currently being used? And where are the inconsistencies? We will go through your current products and services. Based on that, we will create a list of the components we need.

  3. Fundamentals

    Before we design your components, we work on the fundamentals, the foundation of your design: colors, typography, icons.

  4. Develop components

    We design the components that emerged from the inventory. With those components, you will soon be able to click together all your digital products and services.

  5. Patterns & templates

    It is a waste if duplicate work is done within your teams. That is why we also include common patterns and pages in the Design System.

  6. Adoption

    We can design the most beautiful Design System, but if teams don't use it, it is of little value. That is why we involve the end users of the Design System in everything we do – from day one.

Here's how we did it

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Proud of our clients

  1. Logo NS
  2. Logo Randstad
  3. Logo PostNL
  4. Logo APG

What you can expect from us

We are designers who always put the customer first. Designers with a research-based approach. Here’s what you can expect from us when we start working for you:

  • We design for accessibility. We believe it’s important that as many people as possible can use our design – including those with a (physical) disability or limited digital skills. 
  • Functionality comes first. Design shouldn’t just be eye-catching – above all, it must work really well. A clear information architecture. Intuitive interactions. Copy that reads well and is clear. Good design makes difficult things easy.
  • Always based on insight. There’s an idea behind all our design. We don’t just create things for the sake of it. Good design stems from insight: into the client, into the organisation, and into what’s technically possible. 

Ready to get started with your Design System?

Nils van den Broek — Founder

Nils van den Broek