Design Systems in Figma
Build a Figma design system that teams actually use
About this course
This course teaches the concrete craft of building and running a design system inside Figma, from the smallest decision (what to name a color) to the organizational one (who is allowed to change it). You will set up a token foundation with Figma variables, primitive and semantic collections, and light and dark modes, then build components that scale using component properties, variant sets, and slots so one button covers dozens of states instead of being copy-pasted. You will make every component resize correctly with auto layout, constraints, and min and max width, then assemble the whole thing into a published library, manage updates and breaking changes, and keep the file performant. Finally you will write the documentation, naming conventions, and contribution and review workflow that decide whether the system is adopted or abandoned. By the end you can take a product team from inconsistent one-off screens to a single library that ships consistent, maintainable UI.
Curriculum
Module 1: What a Design System Is and How to Set the File Up
- Design system vs. UI kit vs. style guidePreview
- Atomic design and Figma's building blocks🔒
- File structure, pages, and team setup🔒
Module 2: Tokens: Variables, Styles, and Theming
- Variables, collections, and modes🔒
- Primitive and semantic token structure🔒
- Light, dark, and multi-brand theming🔒
Module 3: Components: Properties, Variants, and Auto Layout
- Component properties and variant sets🔒
- Auto layout, constraints, and responsive behavior🔒
- Nesting, slots, and component architecture🔒
Module 4: Publishing, Documentation, and Governance
- Publishing libraries and managing updates🔒
- Documenting components for adoption🔒
- Governance, contribution, and measuring adoption🔒