If you are reading this article, you are probably looking for what and the differences of system design, user interface components library (user interface kit) and brand style guide. You may want to know which of these tools suits your organization’s needs.
In this article, we will discuss what these three issues are, we will understand the needs, differences and similarities of these three and we will know their application for organizations. Stay with us.
Table of Contents
Brand style guide
Brand Style Guide or Style Guide describes the brand language of organizations in design for users. This document is used for designing web products and printed products such as magazines. The content of this guide usually includes instructions about the logo, color palette, typography, symbols, brand tone in terms of content, important grammar rules and appropriate images for the product.
The purpose of the brand style guide is actually a reference for all those who are in charge of the development of new projects and products of the organization. Suppose a website intends to design and build an application. The designer or programming team can use the approved colors and logo or symbols specified in this document using this document.
The brand style guide usually starts with the definition of concepts such as brand identity, organization goals, values, personality characteristics of the organization, etc. The importance of a brand style guide becomes clear when a team is about to make a decision or define a new concept for a new product. This guide will help them make a decision that is consistent with their previous plans.
Library of user interface components
The library of user interface components, although it is a difficult and complicated phrase in literal translation, but in the work of this document, it is a bridge of communication between developers. (Technical team and product design)
UI Component Library, which is also known as user interface kit, is a dedicated folder or project of designs and components that can be used in a website, software or application that the organization intends to develop or build. In fact, this project consists of compatible components or in a specialized sense (Responsive) so that programmers can easily use the components in the desired product by copying its codes.
Unlike the brand style guide, the user interface component library has an operational aspect. The library of user interface components is a dedicated folder where programmed designs are kept and is no longer a place to make fundamental changes. In this folder, the layout of buttons, components, and even product headers and footers can be included.
System design
It can be safely said that the concepts introduced in the previous paragraphs are components of the system design. In fact, the system design of the storage platform, checking and using all the elements that make up the whole product design. It doesn’t matter whether these elements are digital or physical products.
Design is a much broader and more detailed hybrid system than the user interface library and brand style guide. The major difference between the system design and the user interface kit is the possibility of extensive updating in this system. System design is a version of your product that no user except the product team and developers can see.
Reasons for using system design
One of the important reasons for using this system is the ease of updating the plan in a partial and general way. Developers can change multiple pages at the same time with system design. This saves time and money. The design of the system makes the simultaneous and objective result of the combination of user interface and user experience visible and increases its productivity.
Working in system design with atomic design methodology is applicable. In this method, the components of a design are divided into the smallest elements. Atoms make molecules and molecules make patterns.
By dividing design elements into a structure like this, any graphic change is applied to all parts and the development team does not have to update the structure piece by piece to change a button.
Another advantage of system design is its collaborative nature. Since designs run on a platform and not a folder, multiple designers can work on it at the same time. Developers can add their comments or questions to any part they want and it will be specified in a common document between several product teams.
In system design, usually the design team also writes an explanation for the use or type of implementation and application of a part for the programming team. This issue is also an important and undeniable advantage that promotes communication between teams and project execution with higher speed and accuracy.
Comparison of system design, user interface kit and brand guide
All these tools and documents are created with the goal of better communication between teams and ultimately quality output. For a better comparison and to understand the advantages and disadvantages of each, we will continue to compare them.
Application in digital projects
System design and user interface kit are both created for digital products. That is, their output is not useful in visual projects such as posters, even social network posts.
On the other hand, the brand style guide is a conceptual document that can be referenced for any graphic design and content. The Brand Style Guide is not immediately usable. Its construction and development is time-consuming and requires various meetings and brainstorming between brand development, marketing and product development specialists. Of course, the creation of such a document can be the basis for the design of the system and the user interface kit.
User tool for content, design and programming teams
Similarly, user interface kit and system design are created for product development in terms of user interface and programming. In these two tools, there are no guidelines for content strategy and marketing to use in the tone of the brand.
On the other hand, programmers rarely use a brand style guide document because the designer creates what needs to be coded and the programmer implements the design. Designers also cannot directly change the user interface kit, because that kit is provided to the programmer in the form of a folder and is not collaborative in nature like the system design.
Development and maintenance of product designs
It seems that implementing system design is the best and easiest way to reach the final plan, but organizations will reach their desired result in system design by creating a simpler brand style guide document. The matter is very simple. Even starting directly with system design, you still need to discuss brand style and hammer out UI, UX, and brand strategies.
Generally, organizations start their product design by designing the user interface kit first and then move to the system design. Naturally, by having all system design components available, one of which is the user interface kit, the work for the product development team becomes easier.
At the same time, updating the user interface kit should also be considered. With the change in the system design, the user interface file kit also needs to be updated because the previous files cannot be saved and must be changed. So it is better that the final designs are done and then proceed to build the user interface kit. Of course, keep in mind that some changes are inevitable during the execution of the project. Here, the management according to the situation of each product has the final say.
Updating the brand style guide is a time-consuming and difficult task, as it requires dialogue with all parts of the organization. This document is actually the reference for every development and design in your product, so its growth and updating never ends.
In fact, the style guide document is the brand identity of your product, which is updated like a living organism every day, month or season under the supervision of each team.
The effect of tools on project implementation
Each of the mentioned tools has a different role in the implementation of the project. The brand style guide is actually a reference book that is used during product development and startup to refer to it and ensure the right development path. Experts actually understand the path by studying it once, and may forget it completely in the future.
The library of user interface components does not have such a feature. They are right in the middle of the story and have an operational nature. Product design and development specialists refer to it every day and use its components to finalize the various parts of the product they are making.
System design has a collaborative nature. Every moment, the developer or designer expresses his question or opinion by referring to the platform on which the system design is built and gets the answer. Checks the dimensions or colors the built frame of the website or application with the defined color palette
The existence of all three tools in the technical and graphic development of digital products multiplies their use and optimizes the project implementation process. If you are interested in learning UI concepts, you can participate in the user design training course.
It is better to keep in mind that most professionals active in the field of product development are familiar with these concepts and their instrumental application. It is better to use expert consultants who have a positive history in every project and listen to their words.
The first step of consulting and the second step of the correct implementation of product development projects is a detailed and time-consuming task, but if it is done considering all aspects, it has a very good result for any organization and product. If you have experience in this field, please share it with other users and help us in providing complete and documented content to users.