Shipwright – Complete Design System Academy
Complete Design System Academy
Complete Design System Academy by Shipwright
Shipwright – Complete Design System Academy Course
Shipwright – Complete Design System Academy is a comprehensive video course designed to help product designers build scalable, maintainable design systems in Figma.
Instead of creating UI components ad-hoc for every feature, this course teaches you how to build a structured, token-driven system that becomes the single source of truth for your product team.
If you want to move from “pixel pusher” to design system leader, this program provides both the theory and practical implementation.
What This Course Helps You Do
There are two core paths to becoming a design system expert:
1️⃣ Learn the Theory
Understand the foundational models and frameworks behind design systems, including atomic design, tokens, naming structures, and governance.
2️⃣ Build the System
Apply the theory step-by-step in Figma to create scalable components, variables, tokens, and documentation.
By combining conceptual understanding with hands-on execution, you gain the skills to confidently lead system development inside real product teams.
What You’ll Learn
- How to build a modular, scalable component architecture
- How to use design tokens and variables effectively
- How to create consistent light/dark modes and density systems
- How to structure slot-based components
- How to design governance and documentation models
- How to collaborate with developers during handoff
- How to maintain and evolve a system over time
Course Curriculum Breakdown
Design System Foundations (6 Lessons – 1h 03m)
- Why Design Systems?
- Understanding Atomic Design
- Running workshops before starting a system
- Abstracting your system
- Accessibility fundamentals
- Core design system concepts
You’ll gain the mental models behind scalable UI architecture.
Core System Building (Intermediate – 7 Lessons – 1h 41m)
- Component capture
- Creating color palettes
- Creating design variables
- Variable naming
- Type scale
- Establishing foundational building blocks
This is where structure replaces improvisation.
Tokens & File Setup (Beginner – 6 Lessons – 2h 05m)
- Naming conventions
- What design tokens are
- Establishing type tokens
- Setting up Figma files
- How variables power your system
You’ll learn how tokens become the backbone of consistency.
Component Architecture (Intermediate – 14 Lessons – 4h 09m)
- Building toggles
- Avatars
- Cards (Part 1 & 2)
- Buttons
- Component properties
- Slot / replaceable components
- Complex components
- Block-based systems
This section turns your knowledge into reusable, production-ready UI components.
Publishing & Implementation (Intermediate – 2 Lessons – 36m)
- Publishing and testing your system
- Finalizing components
Learn how to deploy your system across teams.
Documentation & Governance (Beginner – 4 Lessons – 38m)
- Pattern-specific documentation
- Developer coordination
- Governance models
This ensures your system doesn’t collapse under feature pressure.
Who This Course Is For
Rookie Designers
Working solo or in small teams who need structure and scalability.
Struggling Designers
Trying to keep up with growing product complexity and new features.
Developers
Looking for better handoff systems and consistent UI logic.
Project Managers
Comfortable in Figma and wanting stronger system alignment within their teams.
Why This Course Stands Out
The Shipwright team has:
- Released highly downloaded UI kits in the Figma community
- Contributed extensive mentorship hours on Dribbble and ADPList
- Built real-world design systems used in client environments
This course draws directly from those practical implementations.
What You’ll Walk Away With
After completing Complete Design System Academy, you will:
- Understand atomic design in real product contexts
- Build token-driven design systems in Figma
- Create scalable components with reusable logic
- Implement variable modes (light/dark/density)
- Coordinate developer handoff efficiently
- Establish governance for long-term maintenance
You won’t just “know about” design systems—you’ll be able to build and manage one.
Conclusion
If you want to transition from designing screens to architecting scalable product systems, Complete Design System Academy by Shipwright provides both the theory and practical training to build a structured, maintainable design system inside Figma.
Enroll Shipwright – Complete Design System Academy.
