LEGO
Producing a digital design system for the original creators of play design systems. LEGO is one of the most iconic brands in the world, originators of a functional design system that embodies unbound potential of creativity. Without a digital design system to call their own, LEGO Group came to us to build a consistent and coherent framework that enables them to design with unified components. Based on principles firmly rooted in the functionality and fun of LEGO bricks, we championed LEGO Group to work well – creating their first ever digital design system.
Brand guidelines Brand strategy Copywriting Design systems Digital design Employer branding Film Illustration Tone of voice UX Visual identity Web development
Consumer goods
Global
Without a digital design system in place, time was being unnecessarily wasted for LEGO creators and contractors – people weren’t able to access what they needed quickly and express their creativity in line with LEGO Group best practice. Every new asset required an onerous level of process, conversation, iteration and re-engineering to reach its goal. It was time for LEGO Group to take the learning from its bricks and translate these principles into their own digital infrastructure.
LEGO Group’s foundations were clearly built on constructive recreation, their eponymous name being an abbreviation of two Danish words “leg godt”, meaning “play well”. But as we joined with a small but mighty internal team at LEGO Group HQ in Billund, Denmark, including Sebastian Fabre, Henry Morizon, Vincent Briglia, Kim Rau and Jonathan Van Wnnik it became clear their UX, development and design teams were in need of solid, unified business tools that enable them to work well.
In direct response to the ‘play well’ message at the heart of the external brand, and honouring the concept that with the right building blocks creativity can be realised, ‘work well’ became the ethos for the project. Enter ‘Klik’, a digital system that translates the modular design principles of LEGO Group onto the screens of designers, creators and digital builders. Through an accessible framework with predetermined and consistent set styles, we were able to unify user experiences across LEGO Group’s business products.
Inspired by the moment everything clicks into place – be that an idea coming to life or the tactility of LEGO bricks interlocking – we integrated a structure that strengthens LEGO Group’s interaction with digital design. So ‘Klikkers’ can experience the familiar, satisfying and coordinated nature of a LEGO system, digitally.
When working on a project so integral to a business as a design system, communication and collaboration is everything. Luke, Jan, Natalie, and the whole UntiedUs team made us feel like a part of every decision. The internal designers and developers of LEGO Group spent weeks in Brighton with UnitedUs [living in the penthouse apartment above their studio] collaborating and building lasting bonds. It meant that the project was a joy from start to finish and one of my highlights of working at LEGO.
Sebastian Fabre
To reflect LEGO’s hero brand throughout Klik, we crafted four guiding principles to inform on-brand design decision making. ‘Interlocking ideas’ harnesses LEGO’s collaborative and infinite spirit, inviting everyone to contribute and build on each other’s ideas. ‘Just enough’ positions Klik as a toolkit for imagination and creativity, providing just enough resources and guidance to allow imagination to flourish – as opposed to restrictive and prescriptive instruction. ‘Solid depth’ ensures all Klik components and interfaces feel tactile, with shading acting as a visual cue for open interaction – just like bricks against a LEGO plate. ‘Build, unbuild, rebuild’ empowers LEGO creators to know they have the resources available to continuously improve, reimagine, and innovate through design.
Putting Klik at the fingertips of all those trusted to produce assets for LEGO Group, we utilised a range of online tools to deliver Klik. We developed the digital design system framework on Figma, helping LEGO Group to prototype this interface software and introduce the business to a valuable collaboration tool. To simplify the brand management of Klik, we opted for Frontify, a digital platform that integrates guidelines into a branded digital environment. From weekly check-ins to inclusive design software, to tapping into the micro-understanding and granular experience of Klikkers, we ensured every component was ownable, codable and scalable.
Armed with the Klik narrative, four guiding principles and the foundations of our key components, we set about bringing the spirit of LEGO into signature moments of brand expression. From animation and motion to illustration, tone of voice and humour – sparingly used but always impactful – signature moments bring a playful smile to Klik users as they interact with brand expressions through digital interfaces.
The approach of the UnitedUs team was fantastic, doing field research, interviewing key staff across the LEGO Group and working first on the positioning and brand hook that the design system was built around. We had to trust their process for a while as they beavered away, and then in one meeting, bang! They hit us with so much incredible considered design work, we were all blown away, and we never looked back.
Sebastian Fabre
KLIKKING
INTO PLACE
With a coherent experience of the LEGO brand now active across internal digital touchpoints, Klik empowers people to work well across LEGO Group, introducing a new identity to sit within their esteemed house of brands. Our creation of their digital design system enables LEGO Group to improve business efficiencies, saving time and money in production through improved usability and accessibility. Klik provides the platform for people to imagine bigger and innovate more quickly – supporting unified creativity.
As a team of AFOLs (Adult Fan of LEGO), it’s a privilege to have created a design system for work with the originators of the design system for play. Let’s go LEGO. Let’s go!
Klik has been a resounding success and has been implemented and growing within LEGO Group, with developers worldwide building on its foundations. It’s such a rewarding project to have delivered, and I can’t thank UnitedUs enough for their ambition and creative endeavour to bring LEGO to life internally for our employees.
Sebastian Fabre
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