Key Differences and Considerations Between Setups

Considerations

When selecting the right setup for your organization, consider the following key questions:

‍🔹How many brands, products, or platforms do you need to support?

Larger organizations with multiple independent product lines may benefit from separate design systems, while smaller teams may prefer a single system with structured brand layers.

🔹Will your teams require separate governance and permissions? 

If different teams or departments need distinct access levels, independent design systems might offer more flexibility in managing permissions.

🔹Do you need a shared documentation site, or do different audiences require separate ones? 

A single design system allows for a unified documentation hub, while multiple design systems provide separate, dedicated websites for different product areas or brands.

🔹How frequently will different brands or platforms be updated, and do they need independent versioning? 

Teams operating on different release cycles may require separate design systems to manage updates independently.

🔹What level of autonomy do your teams need in managing their design systems? 

A centralized system streamlines collaboration, while separate design systems allow teams to work independently with their own governance structures.

🔹What is the size of the team working on the system? 

A smaller team might find it easier to maintain a single design system, whereas larger teams with multiple contributors may need separate systems for better governance.

🔹Who will be consuming the system? 

Are external vendors, brand designers, or contractors part of a different section? Are they contributing, or do they only need limited access to specific areas of the system?

Comparison Table

To help you decide which setup best fits your organization, here’s a quick comparison of the key differences between the two multi-brand design system approaches in Supernova:

💡 Pro Tip:

Your setup isn’t set in stone—many teams start with a single system and transition to multiple design systems as their needs evolve. You can begin with a core foundational Design System and scale into a multiple Design System approach as your organization grows.

➡ What’s Next?

By now, you should have a clearer vision of how to structure your multi-brand design system and which setup best fits your use case. 

Now, let’s dive into the setup you’ve chosen and walk through how to get everything up and running!

Setup 1

Single Design System

Learn how to structure your Design System using Brand layers, manage Design Data efficiently, and keep all documentation in one centralized hub.

Setup 2

Separate Design Systems

Discover how to manage separate Design Systems, create independent documentation sites, and structure your workflow for scalability.