Publishing the Design System

🚢 Publishing the Design System “Keep it fresh. Keep it consistent. Push it live.” Welcome to the part where your hard work goes from local to global (well, team-global). Publishing your design system in Figma means everyone gets the latest and greatest version of your components—without digging through drafts or duplicate files. Here’s how to do it right, keep it smooth, and avoid publishing chaos.

What is Publishing?

Publishing in Figma makes your components, styles, and variables available for others to use across files. Think of it like “shipping” in code—only instead of a deploy, you’re releasing visual building blocks that others can use instantly. Once published, anyone subscribed to the library will see your changes and can update their files with one click.

How to Publish the Design System in Figma

1. Open your main design system file (where the components live).

2. Make sure you’re working in the main branch (or whatever your team calls the stable one).

3. At the top left, click the arrow next to the file name

4. Hit “Publish”— Figma will show all components, styles, and variables that have changed.

5. Add a short summary of your changes (ex: “Updated Button padding” or “Added new Avatar Group”).

6. Click Publish to share it with the world (or your team, same thing).

📝 Pro tip: Don’t publish half-baked components—use branches or drafts to iterate until it’s ready.

I Need to Make a Change—What’s Next?

No worries! Just go back to the component file, make your changes, and hit Publish again. Figma will prompt anyone using those components to update on their end.

• Small fixes? Patch and publish.

• Big changes? Let the team know before publishing to avoid breaking stuff in active designs.

• Breaking changes? Consider versioning or using a changelog to communicate the impact.

How to Subscribe to the Design System

If you’re using the design system, here’s how to stay in the loop:

1. Open any Figma file where you want to use the system.

2. Go to the Assets panel → click the Library icon (book).

3. Under “Team Libraries,” toggle on the switch next to your design system file.

4. Boom—you now have access to all published components and styles.

Once subscribed, you’ll be notified any time something’s updated. Just click “Review and Update” to pull in the latest and keep things consistent.

Need help? Ping the design system team or check out the changelog to see what’s new.
Now go forth and publish responsibly 🫡