Component Spec vs Describe Design

Component Spec

By JR Brugger (Design Workflow)

Write complete design system specs covering variants, states, accessibility, and usage.

Describe Design

By Posit

Create visual design documentation for websites and apps with typography, color, and layout details.

Component Spec

• Generates structured component specifications with anatomy breakdowns, variants, and props
• Documents all component states (hover, focus, disabled, loading, error) with clear descriptions
• Includes accessibility requirements like ARIA roles, keyboard navigation, and screen reader support
• Provides usage guidelines with do/don't examples and content rules
• Covers behavior details like interactions, animations, and responsive breakpoints

Describe Design

• Analyzes website or app designs to identify typography systems and font choices
• Documents color palettes and how colors are used across components
• Describes layout patterns, spacing, and visual hierarchy
• Captures the overall design vibe and aesthetic direction
• Produces markdown documentation with visual references

Reach for Component Spec when…

• You're building a design system and need to document components thoroughly
• Your team needs shared specs so designers and developers stay aligned
• You're onboarding someone and want clear component documentation to reference
• You need to ensure accessibility is baked into every component from the start

Reach for Describe Design when…

• You're creating brand guidelines or a design system document
• You need to hand off design specifications to a team or contractor
• You're reverse-engineering a competitor's visual language for inspiration
• You want to audit design consistency across your product