Design Principles

What Are Design Principles

Shared guidelines that capture what good design means for your team

Key Insight

Design principles are shared guidelines that capture what good design means for a specific team and product. They translate abstract values into criteria for real decisions. Principles can be brand-focused ("Timeless, not cutting-edge" — TED), process-focused ("Do less" — GDS), or experience-focused. What matters is that they help teams make consistent decisions independently.

Key Points

  • •Principles translate product purpose into actionable design criteria
  • •They help teams make consistent decisions without requiring approval for every choice
  • •Can focus on brand expression, UX quality, or team process—whatever matters most
  • •Some principles are project-specific; others are long-lasting organizational values
  • •Larger orgs may unify principles across marketing, product, and support for coherence

Guidelines

  • ✓Start from your product's core purpose and values, not best-practice lists
  • ✓Involve the whole team—principles need buy-in to be followed
  • ✓Keep the set small enough to remember (3–7 is typical)
  • ✓Revisit annually; principles should evolve with the product

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