8 Best Figma Design System Kits

December 19, 2020 by Julija Popovic

Figma design system kits

The vast world of Figma design systems (+ the best free & premium ones)

When looking for Figma design system kits and libraries, anything can get overwhelming after a while. The constant need to be productive has become one of the main causes of burnout. Sometimes, we need to break our workload up into smaller bits. That way, we see our progress. And, it’s easier to stay motivated. Tackling the whole project at once is intimidating. Smaller goals are much easier to achieve.

Figma has a vast library of design system kits. It’s a great platform for all designers. You can find inspiration as well as whole prototypes. It’s a wonderful community for starting designers. You have access to support when you need it. But, it’s not a training-wheel platform. The big kids can have loads of fun, too.

As we’ve said, it’s a good place to find inspiration. Its popularity is anything but coincidence. You can learn more about Figma here.

In this article we’ll look at some great design system kits. They are all available on Figma. There are a couple of freebies, too. But, the paid ones are well worth the expense. You can use them for all kinds of projects. Chances are, you’ll find exactly what you need.

We’ll list eight design system kits. But, there are many, many more. Browsing can and should be fun. So, without further ado, here they are. Eight best Figma design system kits.

1. Figma Essential Design System (FREE)

figma design system

We will start with the basics. This kit is the bread-and-butter kit. It’s a standard kit containing the most popular design components. It offers a big component library. You can probably find everything you need right here. There are many options for buttons, icons and drop down menus.

You can use it for all sorts of projects. Whatever you’re designing, this kit’s got you covered. It’s suitable for websites, as well as apps. The components are fully customisable. This means you can create millions of different styles. It’s versatile, and best of all it’s free.

This is an amazing starter kit if you are a designer looking to speed up time. It’s great for testing out ideas and brainstorming. You can tinker and tweak elements however you like. It’s like an essential white shirt. It goes with pretty much everything.

Sometimes a design is missing one little detail. This is where this kit shines, as well. It also offers many individual components. This means you can pick and choose what suits your needs. You don’t have to use an entire system. The designers behind this great kit had versatility in mind. And that helps a ton.

There’s much to be said about this kit. But an experience is worth a thousand words. Find this awesome kit here.

2. Lira for Figma and Sketch (PREMIUM)

UI collection Lira

As the name suggests, this kit works on two platforms. You can use it on Figma and Sketch. This means it’s available for a wide audience of viewers. That’s a good thing, too. This kit is great.

Lira has over 100 pre-made UI components. You can use them in a thousand different ways. It gives you many options. With it you’ll be able to design anything. Designers can mix and match components to create styles for any type of design. And that’s what a good UI system kit is all about. You can use any component in different projects. It’s amazing how versatile they are.

This kit offers more than 1200 text styles. You can find a style for any occasion. Lira gives you an enormous amount of options. You just have to pick one that works for you. But that’s not that much of a chore. Design is one of the rare professions that relies on passion. People in it love what they’re doing. So, choosing text styles is more fun than a hassle.

Lira also offers over 160 layer styles. You can customise almost every part of your design. It keeps all the options open. Lira operates on 8px Modular System and Atomic structure.

Unfortunately, Lira isn’t free for use. But, you will find the price quite reasonable. You can find Lira here.

3. Figma Material Design System (PREMIUM)

material design system component library

This kit is a powerhouse UI design tool. It has a huge range of different components. You can use it for all types of designs. There isn’t much this kit can’t do. It’s the consummate designers’ tool.

Let’s see what this incredible kit brings to the table. First, it offers more than 1500 material components. This feature doesn’t need much explanation. With this range of components, the sky’s the limit. Think about it. More than 1500 of anything is more than enough to choose from. Your designs will be unique and polished to perfection.

But, the fun doesn’t end there. On the contrary. Figma Material Design offers over 200 editable templates for Figma. You can find templates for popular projects such as e-commerce, forms and blogs. You get the licence to use it for any kind of commercial project. Plus, they’re fully customisable. It spoils the designer for choice.

All these features are great. But, there’s more. This kit’s templates are available for desktop, tablet and mobile apps. They cover all of the most important screen formats. This is vital for any design. People expect their apps to work on any device. This kit caters to that demand.

Figma Material Design is available by purchase. But, it offers a full refund up to 30 days after purchase. This means you have the opportunity to test it out. If you’re not happy, no worries. Find it here and try this incredible kit.

4. Figma Design System Style Guide (FREE)

styles

This is another free system kit. It helps you keep your design on track. Designer Tyler Wain created this kit with design consistency in mind. Sometimes our idea can get away from us. That’s how you end up with confused designs. This kit helps with that.

It helps you not lose focus on your idea. Consistency is key, after all. You won’t lose sight of what you want to achieve. You will be able to keep track of your design. You can be sure any changes you make are intentional.

Think about it this way. You have your original idea. But, during the process you can stray from it. Sometimes, you get another idea mid-designing. And that can work out fine in some cases. In others it can sink the entire design.

It’s important to be aware of your idea. You don’t have to blindly stick to it. That’s not a good idea, either. But with this guide, you have a touchstone.

This kit has a number of different templates. You need only fill it with your style. It saves time and keeps you right on track. It’s an amazing tool, no doubt about it.

As we’ve said, it’s free for downloading. This is great news for starting designers. You might not know what you’re looking for. You can have this cool design system for free. Starting is scary and difficult. But, it can be exciting, too. This tool is here to help you. You can download it here.

5. Design System Starter Kit

wait time Figma interactive components

As the name suggests, this is another starter kit. Its designer Micka Touillaud wanted to create a well-balanced system. What does this mean? He wanted to find the right balance between components and flexibility for existing design systems. Judging by this kit, the attempt was successful.

This kit offers a lot of amazing features. It opens many possibilities for designers. That’s what it was all about. It’s a handy kit that’s a great base for designing. You can go down different paths.

This kit is everything you need to start a project. It features flexible components you can customise. This is one of the most important things for any kit. You never want to stifle creativity.

It also features auto-layout. This means you get a clean, polished design in a fraction of the time. It saves time and nerves. The auto-layout is one of its biggest selling points.

This kit offers a magnificent colour palette. You can customise components to fit your vision. You should settle for nothing less. Design System starter kit operates on atomic design and 8px grid.

There are also many text styles to choose from. They will fit any kind of project. And you can be sure your design will pop. This kit is available by purchase. Find it here.

6. SimpleKits (PREMIUM)

simplekits

SimpleKits is a great essential kit. It’s a kit that gives you all the necessary building blocks. You can create amazing designs in the shortest time. This is one of the best starting kits you can find.

Let’s take a look at what makes it so special. First of all, it isn’t heavily stylised. This means you can bring your own vision into your design. Many kits have ready components. But, they can often be too ready. They can be polished and done. And there’s not much you can do to customise them. Yes, that does save time. At the same time, it limits your choices.

SimpleKits does away with that. Its components are basic, in the best sense. They are open to interpretation. You can use them in any project. They’re easy to customise to suit many designs. That’s one of this kit’s strongest points.

They’re also easy to keep consistent. Using Figma’s colour and type styles it’s easy to keep track. This is great news for larger, complicated projects.

Another good thing about this kit is the speed. You don’t have to recreate each component. They are available to you via drag and drop. Talk about efficiency. This kit is full of awesome components. And using them has never been simpler.

SimpleKits is amazing as a base system. You can add onto it. That way you can create a personalised system that fits your needs. That’s incredibly valuable to most designers. A system can be perfection itself. But it might be of no use to you.

This kit is available by purchase. You can buy it as an individual kit. This suits freelancers and starting designers. You can also purchase the team version. This is great news for companies. Each designer can then tailor it to their needs. But, the base system will be consistent. Find this great kit here.

7. Brainstorming UI Style kit (FREE)

brainstorming kit

This Figma kit is another treasure trove of goodies. It suits the needs of most designers. It has many cool features. Brainstorming kit is full of helpful tools. You can create bright, beautiful designs in no time.

It offers 680 different components. You can imagine how many options that gives you. They’re useful and customisable. They’re also named and organised. That way you can find what you need in a matter of seconds. That’s a lifesaver. Especially with a big kit. Endless scroll is a time pit.

Brainstorming has 149 different styles. They’re sorted into 16 categories. This means you’ve got all the tools you need.

It also offers 235 screens in 21 categories. It has all the most popular app screens covered. You can design for e-commerce, forms, charts and galleries. To name a few. This kit is as versatile as they come.

It has a bright colour palette. This will make your designs vivacious and eye-grabbing. In a tasteful way, of course. You’ll be able to create beautiful apps or websites. And it’ll go without a hitch.

This kit has tons of awesome content. And best of all? It’s free. It’s a perfect addition to your design toolbox. This kit can be useful to any designer. It’s big, bright and easy to use. You can add beautiful new components. And you can make them your own. Find it here.

8. Layers Figma Design System (PREMIUM)

layers panels

Last but not least, we have Layers. This is an incredible system. It’s a decent-sized system with many awesome features. It’s a great tool. Its features are versatile and useful in many ways. Designers love it, soon you’ll see why.

First, it has more than 350 components. They are quite different. But, there’s one thing they all have in common. They’re indispensable for a showstopping design. They allow the designer to create functional and beautiful interfaces. And they make the process so much faster and easier. You can have entire pages ready in a matter of hours.

The components themselves are highly versatile, too. Its creators took special care of that. They wanted to make a system that’s accessible and useful. It reaches a broad audience of users.

It offers more than 60 blocks. This is plenty for any designer. You have a whole world at your fingertips. With Layers, you also get access to a library of product examples. This is awesome because the library keeps expanding. So, you have an endless source of inspiration.

Layers has Auto-Layout support. This means it saves even more time. You don’t have to fret over every tiny detail. It’s an amazing feature. Stress-free designing is here. And the designers of the world sigh in relief.

Layers is a premium kit. This means you have to pay for it. But it is worth every penny. You get one licence per purchase. But with it you also get free automatic updates This means you’re set for a long time. And that’s another thing crossed off your monthly budget. You can get Layers here.

Educating yourself on these collections

Graphic design is a matter of many different elements. Digital design of any kind relies on customisable elements. These elements help your design pop. They make it recognisable and pleasing to the eye. A good design is unique. It leaves a lasting impression in the viewer. But, all these elements can be overwhelming, too. Meticulous customising eats away at both time and nerves. What could be the solution to this problem?

It might be to compile these elements into bigger units. That way it’s easier to organise your design. Bigger units help designers see the bigger picture. A clean, organised design is impactful.

There are a lot of small elements going into a design. Each screen performs at least one act. Buttons are the link between the user and the interface. But, they’re not the only element of a design. The screens must also have backgrounds. Icons are sort of a quickhand. They are symbols that most people recognise. Colours, fonts and animations are important parts of a design, too.

As we’ve said, this can get overwhelming. That’s why we group these elements into systems. You can learn more about different types of components here. Systems combine different screens that make one prototype. They simplify the process of design by a lot.

Each screen has all these elements in it. They’re tied together, but you can still customise them. Creating and finishing smaller units is much easier. It keeps burnout in check. It also allows the designer to take a step back and assess the design. It can be a helpful tool to keep the design on track. It can also help designers choose a new direction. Only if they’re not happy with the current design, of course.

Systems in graphic design do just that. They are rounded units of various elements. They can be interface pages, or even entire prototypes. Systems make it easy to manage different elements. You can still customise them to your liking. But, you can also see them as a part of a whole. Compare this to hundreds of unconnected elements. The advantages of system-based prototyping are obvious.

Systems have revolutionised digital design. They streamline the process. And they are easy to use. This might be the biggest draw they have. It’s a godsend for novice designers. Getting into the swing of things is hard enough on its own. So, any help is priceless.

That’s not to say it “dumbs down” the design process. After all, designing is not about gatekeeping. It’s about creativity. More people getting into design can only be good news. It encourages and amplifies the flow of ideas. Novice designers can influence the more experienced ones. Vice versa goes without saying.

Systems are a way to exchange those ideas in a coherent way. They offer a full picture. Or a model, at least. They help designers get their point across. Remember, clients are laymen for the most part. You can’t expect them to understand technical terms. They are concerned about how the final design looks. And that the prototype functions, obviously.

With a system you can get the jist across. And the client has a clear picture of your vision. They might not agree. But, they will be able to tell you what they want. There will be a much smaller chance of misunderstanding.

Conclusion

You can’t go wrong with any of these kits. They all have amazing features. We’ve said it before. But, it bears repeating. Systems have revolutionised digital design. They made it simpler, faster and more fun. They’ve also improved accessibility.

Anyone can get into design. This means there’s a never-ending source of inspiration. The flow of ideas is bigger than ever. That’s an amazing thing. Originality will be much easier to achieve.

But, it’s not just that.

Looking ahead

Systems have de-stressed the process of design. They removed the boring, menial part. And we were left with pure creativity. That’s a wonderful thing. In a world that’s more stress-inducing than ever, every help is precious. Design is supposed to be enjoyable above all else. For creators and viewers alike.

Systems have done that. There are many awesome systems out there. We’ve highlighted a few that deserve every designer’s attention. You have seen their values, so you know what we mean. Definitely don’t be afraid to explore. Who knows what you might find?

These kits are a product of love and imagination. Does it get any better than that? They will make the designing process exciting and fun. And they will help you create something special. They can be used for any project, by any designer. You can make a statement with a good design. And these kits will help you make it. Try them out for yourself. There’s no time like the present.