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Design Systems in Practice: How Atomic Design Can Streamline Your UI Workflow.
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The brain behind Atomic Design
Since 2013, Brad Frost—a web designer, speaker, author, and the creator of Atomic Design—has been advocating for this approach. His statement? “Don’t build pages, build systems.”
At Born Digital, our design team is constantly searching for systems that can accelerate, improve, and simplify our workflow. For several years now, we have been on the Atomic Design train. Here’s how we use it.
What is Atomic Design?
First, it’s important to understand what Atomic Design actually is. Atomic Design is a method for building digital interfaces out of small, reusable components. These are called Atoms, Molecules, and Organisms. Together, they form larger structures, eventually becoming Templates or Pages. The model consists of five levels:
Atoms → Basic elements such as buttons, colors, shadows, fields, tags, etc. This level combines the product’s foundation/branding with tiny elements that will be used in larger components (Molecules).
Molecules → Small combinations of atoms, like navigation items, search fields with buttons, or cards containing a photo, title, and button. These are then used to form even larger components: Organisms.
Organisms → Larger components, such as headers, navigation bars, or search modules.
The final two levels are Templates and Pages. At Born Digital, we often combine these two depending on the client’s needs. This stage usually represents the full design, built from all necessary building blocks.
Pitfalls of Atomic Design
But when can Atomic Design become a pitfall? First, it’s important to consider whether a full Atomic System is even necessary. Smaller projects don’t always require a complete system, and setting one up does take time. That’s why it’s wise to ask if an Atomic Design System is needed at all.
Since we mostly work on larger projects, this system is very useful for us. However, it’s crucial to document the system and review it with developers. Using reusable components requires discipline, as these components appear across many parts of a product. Without documentation, the team won’t know which components already exist or how to use them. Without proper documentation and discussion, the system can quickly become messy.
Collaboration Between Design and Development
Atomic Design improves collaboration between design and development teams because both work with the same reusable building blocks. It creates a shared language (e.g., Primary Button, USP Block). When working in Figma, this system acts as a library that developers can directly use in code. In short, Atomic Design bridges the gap between design and code.
Not convinced Yet?
If having an organized, consistent, and efficient design system isn’t enough, consider scalability. As a digital product grows—adding more features, pages, and variations—everything remains manageable thanks to reusable building blocks. The team doesn’t need to create new elements repeatedly; a component designed once can be reused across multiple contexts.
This also brings another benefit: speed. New pages or features can be built much faster because the building blocks are ready to go. Maintenance becomes easier as well—a single updated component is automatically reflected everywhere it’s used.
Need Help Setting Up Your Atomic Design System?
At Born Digital, we’re happy to help your company set up an Atomic Design System. Don’t hesitate to get in touch!