Design System Fundamentals

Before there was the Design System, there were graphic standards. Had you worked for or with such companies as IBM, Apple, FedEx, or Citigroup prior to 1990, you would be handed a book outlining the company’s graphic standards. That book told you where a logo was to be placed on everything from business cards to print ads. Included were typographic standards defining what font to use and when to use the various weights and sizes. In many cases, that typographic standard included a custom font. For example, prior to 2001, Apple used a customized version of Garamond and then gradually switched to today’s Myriad Pro. IBM is affectionately known as “Big Blue” for a reason. IBM’s corporate color is Pantone’s PMS 2718 C, and the Hexadecimal version is #006699. The Citigroup red umbrella logo uses PMS 485 C, and the Hexadecimal version is #DB230B and its corporate font is Interstate, where the lowercase "t" has been modified to resemble an umbrella handle.