Summer is almost over and this is the studios busiest time of the year … I spent time in Sweden this summer and that reminded me on the tune S.O.S and design guides…
The Abba song SOS came out 1975. “SOS” was ABBA’s first major worldwide hit since “Waterloo”. In Abbas song line “Nothing else can save me SOS”. The SOS calls to ‘save’ love, originally SOS meaning is Save Our Souls or Ship if emergency calls at sea.
What is S-O-S Design?
A design guides purpose is to save its design by organising it. S-O-S in this case translate to “Swedish organising system”. To create digital development at a fast tempo and with a frictionless sharing with developers, the design guide is key; a clear design system easy to streamline.
Over the years the studio received great feedback on our digital design- and brand- guides, I guess it’s just S-O-S…
”Nothing else can save us SOS”
There is a Swedish sense for orderliness, order and cleanness and this simplicity and this design thinking refers to as ‘funkis’. The functionalist movement in Sweden started with the world famous Stockholm exhibition, 1930, that was inspired by the Bauhaus.
Swedes appreciate design simplicity. A clear and functional design that helps you solve everyday issues.
Functional design is really a universal thing; “Design is not just what it looks and feels like, it just has to work” said Steve Jobs. News design is purpose driven design and a design guide explain each function.
See my 5 tips on what a functional digital design guide today must contain, S-O-S.
A functional design guide needs to document, explain and create clarity to the products;
- Brand-id and brand assets
- Type-id and type style guide
- The grid, scaling and padding
- Colour-id and clear colour tokens
- Design prototypes and components