DESIGN
Visual Design
Define the Style Guide/Design System
The style guide outlines the visual standards, including typography, colors, icons, and imagery, to maintain consistency across the product.
Why it's Important
Establishes a cohesive brand identity.
Ensures consistency across designs and team members.
Speeds up the design process with reusable components.
How to Implement
Analyze Brand Guidelines: Start with existing brand assets (e.g., logo, colors, fonts).
Choose Core Elements: Define primary and secondary colors, typography, and iconography.
Document Components: Include buttons, form elements, and other reusable UI components.
Create Design Tokens: Standardize spacing, shadows, and other design properties.
Test for Accessibility: Ensure readability, contrast, and usability.
Available Workshops
Color Palette Workshop: Experiment with color combinations that reflect brand identity.
Typography Pairing Sessions: Test font pairings for readability and style.
UI Component Brainstorming: Define reusable components with the team.
Accessibility Testing Lab: Validate colors and fonts against WCAG standards.
Design Consistency Reviews: Compare designs to the style guide for alignment.
Deliverables
Comprehensive style guide document.
Design tokens for spacing, colors, and typography.
A library of reusable UI components.
How to Measure
Team adherence to the style guide.
Consistency across design outputs.
Accessibility compliance for visual elements.
Real-World Examples
Google Material Design: A comprehensive system that provides design and development guidelines.
Apple
Apple’s Human Interface Guidelines: Ensures consistency across all Apple products.
Spotify
Spotify Design System: Combines a unique aesthetic with functional UI standards.
Get It Right
Align visual design with brand personality.
Keep the style guide accessible and regularly updated.
Include examples for clarity.
Test the guide with real use cases.
Incorporate team feedback into the guidelines.
Don't Make These Mistakes
Overcomplicating the style guide with unnecessary rules.
Ignoring brand identity or deviating from it.
Skipping accessibility testing.
Failing to update the guide as the product evolves.
Neglecting to train the team on how to use the guide.