NL Design System
A fresh visual identity for the Netherlands' largest design system
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NL Design System is an open-source, style-agnostic design system for Dutch government organisations. It provides reusable components, interactions and guidelines that help organisations design and build digital services faster, more consistently and with better accessibility.
In brief
500+
specialists in the community
49
open-source GitHub repo's
25+
test
The call for help
Help NL Design System grow faster by strengthening its positioning. The new visual identity needed to work not only across its websites, but also for presentations, merchandise, emails, thumbnails, posters and social media.
Accessibility
For government organisations, accessibility isn’t optional. It’s a basic requirement. We translated this into reusable components, guidelines and design principles that consider accessibility from the start. Not as a final checklist, but as part of the foundation.
Gebruikersonderzoeken.nl
Government organisations gather a lot of valuable knowledge through user research. But too often, report after report ends up forgotten somewhere in SharePoint. Gebruikersonderzoeken.nl brings this existing knowledge together, making it easier to find, reuse and share.
Approach
We started by defining the role of NL Design System within digital government: not as a single visual identity, but as a shared foundation for recognisable, accessible and reusable digital services.
Discovery
Our analysis of the audience and context revealed a few key values: accessibility, collaboration, reusability and consistency. But above all, NL Design System is community-driven. Together with the community, we explored several creative directions.
Implementation
We turned the chosen concept into visual building blocks, applications and guidelines. The result is an identity that is recognisable, logical and scalable, and can adapt to a growing range of public organisations.
Result
The new identity is flexible enough to support everything NL Design System needs today and in the future. Not just digital components, but also marketing materials, posters, email signatures and more.
Dolomites
Patagonia
Yosemite Park
Pyrenees
Ready to build a brand people remember?
Let’s create an identity that lasts. Together, we build a brand designed to grow.
