What does a design system studio do?

We audit what you have, define your design tokens, build a component library in Figma, and document it so engineers can use it in code. Your designers and engineers end up working from the same system instead of their own copies.

Can you work with our existing design system?

Yes. Most projects start with an audit of what's already there. We keep what works, clean up what's drifted, and fill the gaps.

Do you work in Figma or in code?

Both. We build the library in Figma on top of design tokens, then hand off specs and token exports your engineers bring into the codebase.

Can it support dark mode and multiple brands?

Yes. Tokens are set up with modes from the start, so light, dark, or a second brand is a switch, not a redesign.

How long does a design system take?

A design system audit takes 1 to 2 weeks, depending on how many products and files are involved. The full build is scoped after the audit, based on what it finds.

How much does it cost?

Every system is scoped to the product. Most teams start with our Strategic Audit, which maps what you have and what to build first. The audit is $2,500, credited in full toward a Gridhaus engagement if you move forward within 60 days.

Does a design system help AI tools build our product?

Yes. AI coding tools can only follow rules they can read. Named tokens, documented components, and written usage rules give tools like Claude, Cursor, and Copilot a spec to build from, so new screens match your product instead of guessing at it.

Design Systems for Product Teams

What is a design sуstem?

A design system is the shared set of components, tokens, and rules a team uses to design and build a product. It usually includes a Figma library, design tokens for color, type, and spacing, coded components, and docs on when to use each piece. Done well, it lets a team ship new screens faster without the product drifting out of sync.

Design system audit priority matrix sorting findings from P0 to P3, next to consistency findings with fixes

Figma component library examples: session card variants, payment method cards, and a bottom sheet

уou probablу need a design sуstem

REBUILT IN EVERy FILE

Designers rebuild the same button, card, or form in every new file, and every release adds a few more one-offs.

WHICH ONE Is REAL?

Engineers ask which version of a component is the real one, and Figma stopped matching production a while ago.

CHANGES By HAND

Dark mode, a rebrand, or a new product line means touching hundreds of screens. That's not a people problem. It's a missing system.

Built for AI-assisted teams

AI CAN ONLY FOLLOW RULES IT CAN READ

Cursor, Claude, Copilot, and Figma Make all build faster when they have a system to pull from. Without one, they guess, and you get screens that look close enough. We document your system in plain, structured files any model can read, so AI-built screens come out on-brand and your team ships faster.

Tokens exported as JSON and CSS variables, not just Figma styles

Component docs in Markdown with props, states, and when to use each one

Figma components mapped to your code components, so prompts reuse what exists

A rules file your team drops into any AI tool to keep output consistent

How it works

How a design sуstem project runs

Four steps from scattered files to a system your team owns.

Audit

We inventory what you have in Figma and in production and find where the two drift apart.

Foundations

Tokens and core rules for color, type, spacing, and accessibility. The decisions everything else sits on.

Components

The library, built in priority order. What your team touches most ships first.

Handoff and rollout

Docs for every component, key screens moved onto the system, and a walkthrough with your team. Then it's yours.

Selected work

Sуstems we've shipped

We build for SaaS, fintech, and healthcare teams. See how we work in tech and SaaS, fintech, and healthcare.

FOLX Health

A design system in Figma and Webflow for the website and member app. Design-to-development time down 40%, sign-up drop-off down 18%.

Read the case study ↗

FOLX Health website homepage and member app welcome screen shown side by side

ShopRunner

The Bolt design system, an HTML and CSS component library used across ShopRunner products. Onboarding success up 18%.

Read the case study ↗

ShopRunner.com homepage with My Favorite Stores and My Categories, shown on laptop and phone

Strategic Audit

Not sure where to start? Start with an audit.

A fixed-price, 90-minute review of your product and design system, led by Mars Tovar.

Fixed price

$2,500

Credited in full toward a Gridhaus engagement if you move forward within 60 days.

Book your audit

Pre-session brief

Built from your links and intake answers, sent 24 hours before the session.

90-minute recorded session

Led by Mars, with up to 3 people from your team.

Design system teardown

A token audit table, a component gap list, and how far the product has drifted from the library.

Written action plan

Within 5 business days. Every finding has a severity, a recommendation, and an acceptance criterion, as a PDF and as markdown for your AI tools.

Design sуstems that ship