Design System
A governed collection of design principles, tokens, components, patterns and documentation used to create consistent products.
A design system lets multiple teams ship consistent, accessible products faster by reusing agreed decisions instead of redesigning common elements, and it makes brand and UX changes easier to roll out.
A company with three web apps creates a design system with tokens for color and spacing, 40 components, content guidelines and contribution rules, then tracks adoption by counting screens built from system components.
A design system is a product that needs funding, owners and governance; without them it becomes outdated. It cannot fix weak research or strategy, and overly strict rules can block teams with legitimate needs.
A design system typically contains foundations such as principles, design tokens and accessibility standards; a component library in design tools and code; patterns that combine components for common tasks; and documentation and contribution processes. Changes are versioned and released so products can adopt updates in a controlled way.
Systems Architecture
Nielsen Norman Group — Design Systems 101 — https://www.nngroup.com/articles/design-systems-101/; Figma — Design system 101: What is a design system? — https://www.figma.com/blog/design-systems-101-what-is-a-design-system/