The systems that design the experience.
A design system is more than a library of components
It’s the connective tissue that powers product teams, speeds delivery, and scales quality. We’ve built systems for startups shipping fast and for global enterprises managing hundreds of contributors. Wherever you are, we can meet you there — and design a system that works, lasts, and evolves.
Click to talk to us about design systems
What we mean by “Design System”
Tank defines a design system as a unified set of design assets, documentation, and code that drives consistency and speed across digital products. It’s part brand, part toolkit and part governance model that helps teams design and build better together.
Why it matters
We’ve heard it all before:
“No one knows where the latest components are.”
“Everything’s starting to feel a little off.”
“Design and dev don’t match.”
“Our new hires are lost.”
“Our products don’t even look related.”
A strong design system solves all of that. The right one:
- Speeds design and dev
- Improves quality and consistency
- Makes onboarding smoother
- Reduces rework and inefficiencies
- Aligns teams around a shared vision
- Helps your brand show up, everywhere
Why Tank
We’ve built and scaled design systems across industries and platforms — in Figma and in code, from brand-new systems to enterprise evolutions. Whether addressing governance gaps or structuring systems for speed to market, we adapt to fit your maturity, tools, and needs.
We build systems that:
- Scale to fit startups, enterprises, and everything in between
- Bridge design and dev — not just deliver sticker sheets
- Stay in the tools your teams use (Figma, React, AEM)
- Come with documentation, not just components
- Are adopted through training, demos, and office hours
- Grow through feedback, iteration, and governance
- Last — because they’re treated like a product, not a project
Our approach
We follow a structured, flexible process tailored to your goals and team structure. From the first audit to long-term governance, we stay hands-on.
1. Discovery
- Gather input from various stakeholder
- Audit existing system and assets
- Review technology and tools
- Gather accessibility and compliance requirements
- Align on design principles and goals
2. Exploration & Refinement
- Explore visuals and create structure
- Design components and patterns
- Draft documentation
- Iterate and test
- Plan for governance
- Get internal alignment and early buy-in
3. Production
- Create final asset (Figma libraries)
- Built-out documentation
- Collaborate with dev
- QA and UAT
- Launch and rollout
- Coordinate training, office hours, and onboarding support
4. Ongoing support
- Implement governance
- Manage backlog
- Plan maintenance
- Release updates
- Measure and optimize
Built to scale. Designed to last.
A design system is infrastructure. It creates consistency across products and teams today, while enabling the clarity and scale your organization will need tomorrow.
BUILT FOR ALL KINDS OF PRODUCTS
We design systems for:
- Websites (marketing, ecommerce, blog, etc.)
- Web apps (dashboards, tools, etc)
- Mobile apps (iOS & Android)
- Email templates
- Kiosks and wearables
- Digital marketing (ads, social, content blocks)
BUILT FOR REAL TEAMS
Design systems aren’t just for designers. We create tools that serve:
- Product teams — to ship with confidence
- Developers — to move faster with less guesswork
- Designers — to focus on problem-solving, not pixel pushing
- Content creators — to stay on brand, everywhere
- Marketers — to align brand and experience
- External vendors — to onboard quickly and stay consistent
WHAT WE DELIVER
Our systems include:
- Libraries organized by foundations, components, and patterns
- Documentation for usage, accessibility, content, and localization
- Guidance for governance, contribution, and rollout
- Developer alignment and, where possible, connected code
- Training plans, onboarding tools, and rollout support
We can work in your design tool (i.e., Figma) or ours, build docs in tools like Contently or Strapi, and align with platforms like Storybook, React, or AEM.
Experience Principles
Every system starts with clarity.
Before components, patterns, or code, we define the experience principles that shape how a brand behaves across every touchpoint. Whether launching a new cruise ship, evolving a luxury hospitality portfolio, or building a digital platform from the ground up, these principles create the foundation for everything that follows.
They inform UX architecture, content strategy, messaging, and ultimately the design system itself—ensuring what gets built is not just consistent, but intentional.
To learn more about our unique Experience Principles methodology.
Telephone: 617 995 4000 | Click to start the conversation about your design system
Studies
Harvard GSD
WHY THEY CAME TO TANK
They needed a unified multisite platform that would empower faculty and students to create bespoke websites while maintaining a standardized, scalable framework.
WHAT WE DELIVERED
Built on WordPress, this component-based multisite platform leverages a robust design system to provide faculty and students with a modular toolkit. The system scales to individual needs, offering everything from streamlined, template-driven setups to more flexible, customizable experiences.
Princess Cruises
WHY THEY CAME TO TANK
They wanted to elevate the brand look and feel while creating a scalable system and website experience that aligns with the on-ship experience.
WHAT WE DELIVERED
A scalable system built for efficiency, storytelling and conversions. We created web and email components, established naming and categorization standards, and produced documentation covering onboarding, experience principles, and design foundations including motion and illustration.
FedEx
WHY THEY CAME TO TANK
They wanted to unify their digital design across teams, tools, and platforms at global scale.
WHAT WE DELIVERED
A fully scaled design system used globally: 1M+ Figma component uses, 15+ libraries, 1,100+ components, CMS-backed documentation, analytics dashboards, expanded to email and mobile.
State Street
WHY THEY CAME TO TANK
They wanted to shift brand perception from legacy finance to modern fintech.
WHAT WE DELIVERED
A microsite-based system designed for speed and storytelling, featuring content-led components and campaign-ready templates, all built outside the corporate CMS for agility.
Zus Health
WHY THEY CAME TO TANK
Launch a first-of-its-kind health tech brand with a system that could scale quickly.
WHAT WE DELIVERED
A system built for velocity and clarity, featuring a modular, grid-based component model inspired by data connectivity, developer-friendly architecture, flexible documentation, and lightweight design governance.
PetMD by Chewy
WHY THEY CAME TO TANK
They wanted to integrate with Chewy’s corporate infrastructure while maintaining medical authority and brand independence.
WHAT WE DELIVERED
A hybrid system built on Chewy’s design foundation, featuring PetMD-specific theming, mobile-first design, shared infrastructure, and documentation for tool-specific interaction models like the Symptom Checker.
FAQs
A design system is not only a toolkit, it’s operational infrastructure for how your brand shows up, scales, and performs. Below are some questions clients often ask when evaluating the investment, timing, and impact of building a design system.
What’s the ROI of a design system?
Faster design. Cleaner code. Fewer errors. Happier teams. Over time, that adds up to big savings — and a better user experience.
How much does it cost?
It depends on complexity. We’ll scope the work based on your needs, team, and maturity — and give you a clear estimate.
How long does it take?
Most systems take 3–6 months to stand up. But we can scale timelines based on urgency, team size, or system depth.
Do we need a full team to manage it?
Not necessarily. We’ll help define the right resourcing model for you — and plan for sustainable ownership.