Design System/Style Guide Creation
Building a Design System for Multi-Brand or Sub-Brand Consistency
This prompt helps teams create a design system that supports multi-brand or sub-brand strategies. It focuses on defining shared and unique elements, ensuring visual and functional consistency while maintaining brand differentiation.
Responsible:
Product Design
Accountable, Informed or Consulted:
Design, Product, Marketing
THE PREP
Creating effective prompts involves tailoring them with detailed, relevant information and uploading documents that provide the best context. Prompts act as a framework to guide the response, but specificity and customization ensure the most accurate and helpful results. Use these prep tips to get the most out of this prompt:
Define the core brands or sub-brands to be included in the system.
Gather existing branding assets, including color palettes, typography, and logos.
Identify components or elements that are shared across brands versus unique to each.
THE PROMPT
Help create a design system that supports multi-brand or sub-brand strategies for [specific organization or suite of products]. Focus on:
Shared Components: Identifying universal elements (e.g., typography, grid systems, navigation) used across all brands.
Brand-Specific Elements: Defining unique color palettes, logos, and imagery to differentiate sub-brands.
Theming Capabilities: Establishing guidelines for creating dynamic themes or skins for each brand.
Consistency Standards: Documenting rules for when to use shared versus brand-specific components.
Scalability: Ensuring the system can accommodate future brands or product lines with minimal redesign.
Provide specific recommendations for organizing the design system, including tools or platforms (e.g., Figma, Sketch, Zeroheight) to manage brand assets. If additional details about brand hierarchy or product relationships are needed, ask clarifying questions to refine the suggestions.
Bonus Add-On Prompts
Propose strategies for managing shared vs. brand-specific components in a multi-brand design system.
Suggest methods for creating and applying dynamic themes to differentiate sub-brands.
Highlight best practices for maintaining consistency while supporting brand individuality.
Use AI responsibly by verifying its outputs, as it may occasionally generate inaccurate or incomplete information. Treat AI as a tool to support your decision-making, ensuring human oversight and professional judgment for critical or sensitive use cases.
SUGGESTIONS TO IMPROVE
Focus on specific industries, such as retail with multiple product lines or SaaS with regional brands.
Include localization strategies for brands targeting different regions or languages.
Highlight adaptive strategies for web vs. print brand consistency.
Propose methods for integrating brand guidelines with marketing or advertising campaigns.
Add tools for tracking usage and updates across multiple brands.
WHEN TO USE
During the creation or consolidation of a design system for multi-brand organizations.
To align sub-brands under a cohesive design strategy while preserving individuality.
When scaling a design system to support new brands or product lines.
WHEN NOT TO USE
If the organization has only one brand and no plans for sub-brands.
When focusing solely on single-use designs or standalone products.