Build a production design system in one week

Design systems have a reputation for being massive multi-month projects. That's because most teams build them wrong — they try to document everything before anything is built. We flip the process.

Day 1: Tokens Only

Start with design tokens: colors, typography scale, spacing scale, border radius, shadows. Nothing else. These are the atoms from which everything else is built. Get these right and the rest follows.

"A design system without tokens is just a component library. Tokens make it a system."

Day 2-3: Core Components

Build only what the product needs right now: Button, Input, Card, Badge, Modal. Resist the urge to build every variant upfront. Build the 80% case, document the extension pattern.

Day 4: Documentation

Document usage rules, not just component specs. "Use primary button for the main action per screen" is more valuable than listing every prop.

Day 5: Handoff & Integration

Export tokens to code (CSS variables, Tailwind config), connect Figma to the repo via design tokens, and do a live handoff session with the dev team. The system is now shared — not a designer artifact.