18F: Digital service delivery | Building a large-scale design system: How we created a design system for the U.S. government

October 4th, 2017

Maya Benari provides an in-depth walkthrough of 18F’s mission to create a consistent design system for many, many different government sites.

When building out a large-scale design system, it can be hard to know where to start. By focusing on the basics, from core styles to coding conventions to design principles, you can create a strong foundation that spreads to different parts of your team.

There’s an interface inventory, then mood boards, then the work starts on typography and colour, then white space, and finally the grid system.

The lessons learned make for good design principles:

• Talk to the people
• Look for duplication of efforts
• Know your values
• Empower your team
• Start small and iterate
• Don’t work in a vacuum
• Reuse and specialize
• Promote your system
• Be flexible