Introduction

In the same way a compass points everyone in the same direction, a design system intends to accomplish the same thing for a product and brand team. Compass is Mattermost's “true north” when it comes to design. It also helps that the Mattermost brand happens to be embodied by a compass symbol we call ”The Instrument”.

What is a Design System?

In short, a design system is a collection of guidelines, patterns and components that are guided by standards and documentation. A design system helps a team have a shared understanding of the design approach and establishes a shared visual language for products and communications.

Why a Design System?

Having a documented design system helps us achieve the following goals:

• Promotes consistency in our design solutions

• Ensures our products and communications have a cohesive look and feel

• Enables efficiency in designing and developing new features with reusable patterns

• Cuts down on design review times

• Saves time on making global style changes

• Provides a shared language for the organization to talk about design

Compass Design System Website

You can find all the details of the system we’ve built at the dedicated website for it: https://compass.mattermost.com/29be2c109/p/995619-compass-design-system