How a Design System Can Save Time and Money for Your Business

Example of a design system shown on a screen

Let’s be real. You’re in business to make money. Not to waste time redoing the same work.

A design system brings structure. It keeps your team aligned, speeds up delivery, and cuts costs. You’re not rebuilding buttons, grids, or layouts for every project. You build once, reuse, and move on.

This isn’t just an Airbnb or IBM thing. When resources are limited, efficiency matters more. A design system helps smaller teams stay fast, focused, and consistent.

Whether you’re a small business or scaling fast, having a design system can help keep your branding tight, your projects on track, and your costs low.

What is a design system?

Think of a design system as a toolbox full of reusable parts. It’s a set of components, guidelines, and rules that your team can use to build any digital product fast.

You’re not starting from scratch every time you need a button or layout. It’s already there, ready to use—and it all fits together without extra effort.

Here’s what a typical design system includes:

a depiction of typical design system showing typogrphy, color palette, interaction patterns, and ui components

In contrast to traditional design workflows, where every new project starts from scratch, a design system allows you to reuse components.

This saves time, reduces errors, and ensures that all digital products share a consistent look and feel.

For example, Airbnb and IBM use design systems to manage complex, multi-platform projects. The Airbnb team created its “Design Language System” to streamline both web and mobile app development.

This system allowed their design and development teams to collaborate efficiently, reducing project completion times by 50%.

That’s not theory—it’s operational reality.
With standardized components and clear guidelines, your team delivers more consistent work. Onboarding new team members gets easier. Projects scale without the chaos.

How design systems save time?

Every minute your team spends repeating work costs you. A design system cuts that waste. Once a component—button, grid, form—is built, it’s reused across projects. No need to start from zero each time.

Instead of recreating the same layout three times for three projects, you do it once and move on. Designers pull from the system. Developers follow clear guidelines. No guessing, no back-and-forth.

This speeds everything up. Airbnb cut design time in half. You can too.

Picture this: You’ve got three projects on the go. Usually, you’d design the same button, navigation bar, or grid layout three separate times.

That’s hours wasted. With a design system, you do it once. After that, it’s plug-and-play.

This also accelerates the development process. Developers don’t need to interpret the designer’s intentions for every element. They have clear, consistent guidelines to follow, reducing back-and-forth communication.

Teams that use design systems finish projects faster. Airbnb reports cutting their design time by half, 50% faster. Imagine how much more you could get done in a day.

Why you’re saving time:

Reusable components – no need to design from scratch.
Fewer back-and-forths between design and development.
Faster onboarding for new team members – they know the system.

Example

Shopify uses its “Polaris” design system to keep its design team moving at lightning speed. It can roll out updates without worrying about inconsistency or wasting time on repetitive tasks.

Data point

According to Invision, companies using design systems complete projects 70% faster.
That’s not a typo—70%.

How design systems save money?

A design system isn’t just another cost—it’s a smart investment.

The more you build, the more you save. Reusable components cut down design and development time, which means lower costs.

Your team works faster, bills fewer hours, and spends more time focused on high-level work like solving user problems or improving the customer experience.

Key takeaways on cost-saving:

Fewer hours spent on repetitive design work
Less back-and-forth between teams
Consistency means no expensive mistakes or redesigns

01

Real-world example

IBM cut design and development costs by 25% with their Carbon design system. Standardizing their design language removed redundancies and made it easier for teams to work together.

02

Data point

McKinsey reports that companies with strong design systems cut design and development costs by 20–30% over 3 years. Reusing components, avoiding errors, and reducing rework drives that efficiency.

Design systems ensure brand consistency

A consistent brand is essential for building trust with your audience. A design system ensures that your brand’s visual identity remains the same across all platforms, whether it’s a website, mobile app, or marketing campaign.

Without a design system, different teams may interpret the brand guidelines differently, leading to inconsistencies in fonts, colors, or button styles. These inconsistencies can confuse users and damage the credibility of your brand.

A design system provides a single source of truth, so every team is aligned. Whether you’re scaling to new markets, launching a new product, or expanding your online presence, a design system ensures that your brand remains recognizable and trustworthy.

Real-World Example

Mailchimp uses a design system to maintain brand consistency across its email platform, marketing materials, and customer support interfaces. By doing so, they ensure that users always recognize the Mailchimp brand, no matter where they interact with it.

Challenges of not using a design system

Businesses that don’t use design systems often face significant challenges. Inconsistent designs can lead to confusion among users, which can harm brand perception.

Teams also waste time by recreating elements for each project, slowing down the entire process.

Here are common issues faced without a design system:

Increased risk of design errors or inconsistencies.
Slower project timelines due to repetitive tasks.
Higher development costs because of unclear design specifications.
Difficulty scaling design across new platforms or markets.

Without a system, designs drift, users get confused, and your brand takes a hit. Meanwhile, your team wastes time on repetitive tasks and endless revisions.

What clients often ask us about design systems

What is a design system in UX?

A design system is a set of guidelines, components, and tools used to create a cohesive and consistent user experience across digital products.

How long does it take to build a design system?

Depending on the complexity, it can take anywhere from 1 to 3 months to build. Larger organizations may take longer due to the need for more comprehensive component libraries.

Is a design system worth it for small businesses?

Yes. Even small businesses can benefit from the time and cost savings that design systems provide. They also help maintain brand consistency, which is crucial for smaller businesses building their reputation.

Can a design system improve my site’s performance?

Yes. Design systems often include optimized, lightweight components that improve performance by reducing load times and improving usability.

What tools are used to create design systems?

Common tools include Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD, and Zeplin. These tools help design and development teams collaborate efficiently by providing a clear handoff process.

Final thoughts

A design system provides clear time and cost savings while ensuring brand consistency. It allows businesses to streamline their processes, reduce errors, and produce higher-quality products faster. A design system isn’t overhead—it’s leverage. It saves time, lowers costs, and improves output. Build it once. Use it everywhere.

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How a Design System Can Save Time and Money for Your Business

How a Design System Can Save Time and Money for Your Business

What is a design system?

How design systems save time?

How design systems save money?