View of the design platform with graphic and the relevant chapters.

Deutsche Bahn

Design system for faster, brand-compliant digital product development

More efficient digital product development
Design and engineering teams work with a unified design and component system, delivering faster, more consistent results in collaborative product development.

Consistent look across all digital products
Bahn X works across platforms, making Deutsche Bahn’s brand scalable and recognisable across all digital products.

Central collection of all design rules
Bahn X consolidates all design rules as the single source of truth, making collaboration between teams more direct and workflows more efficient.

Continuous improvement
A systematic Design Ops structure sustains Bahn X beyond launch and continuously improves the system.

At a glance

Deutsche Bahn, one of Europe’s largest mobility and logistics companies with many different apps and digital services, needed a shared foundation for brand and user experience across its broad product portfolio. As part of the Bahn X programme, DAYONE built a central design system combining design standards and a component library. The result: a consistent, accessible look and feel across all apps, platforms and devices that design, engineering and project management teams evolve together.

Client: Deutsche Bahn
Industry: Mobility & Logistics (B2C/B2B)
Services: Design systemUX/UI designAccessibilityBrand positioningDigital strategyStakeholder management
Result: Consistent, accessible look across all apps, platforms and devices

Bahn X: One platform for all teams

The Bahn X platform brings Deutsche Bahn’s design, engineering and project management teams together, enabling parallel, structured and consistent product development. Each role finds exactly what it needs: designers use Sketch links, developers work with coding guidelines, project managers access presentation templates. This way, every role actively contributes to Deutsche Bahn’s digital brand experience.

Consistent look across all touchpoints

Deutsche Bahn’s design system brings together UX principles, visual design and CD/CI specifications in one system. All services, platforms and devices therefore share a consistent look and feel. Central components and clear guidelines make the brand consistent; users instantly recognise Deutsche Bahn, whether in the app, at the ticket machine or on the web.

Inclusive design as standard

Accessibility was a core principle of Deutsche Bahn’s design system from day one, ensuring everyone can use the digital services. Colours, contrasts, font sizes and interactions therefore accommodate different needs. Clear accessibility guidelines and regular testing ensure that new components remain accessible to as many people as possible.

Two accessibility examples side by side: connection cards at native font scaling and the same view with high contrast values

Co-created and focused on continuous improvement

A clearly structured submission process with quality-assurance reviews integrates new components and content cleanly into the design system. This makes Bahn X a living tool that grows with Deutsche Bahn’s teams and their needs.

Flow diagram from production design through the UI kit and master file to handover to the development libraries for iOS and Android

Outcome

Designers, developers and project managers work with role-specific content in a shared platform: Sketch links for design, coding guidelines for engineering, presentation templates for project management.
UX principles, visual design and CD/CI specifications come together in one system to deliver a consistent look and feel across app, ticket machine and web.
Colours, contrasts, font sizes and interactions in the design system are tailored to different user needs and safeguarded by accessibility guidelines and regular testing.
A structured submission and review process integrates new components and content into the design system in a controlled way, rather than adding them independently by individual teams.

Our Services for a Successful Collaboration

With our design and consulting standard DIaaS® (Design Innovation as a Service), we combine collaborative workflows, strategic thinking, and user-centered design to create tailored, future-proof solutions.

Strategic consulting for the design system

Concept development of a scalable design and collaboration platform as the foundation for digital product development within the Bahn-X program.

Multi-role enablement

Provision of tailored content and tools for different user groups, from design and development to product management and editorial teams.

UX guidelines & CI/CD integration

Integration of UX principles with brand guidelines to ensure a consistent brand and user experience.

Collaborative workflow & governance

Implementation of a structured submission and review process to ensure quality and continuous system improvement.

Tool integration & platform setup

Build of a responsive platform with tool integrations (Sketch Cloud, for example) and content management functionality so teams can maintain it themselves.

Design system for an international law firm network

Frequently asked questions

What can a design system do that a single good design cannot?

A single design solves one page or one app. A design system like Bahn X provides design, engineering and project management teams with reusable rules and components so many teams can work in parallel while staying on brand.

How can a design system be used by several teams at once?

Bahn X gives each role exactly what it needs: designers work with Sketch links, developers with coding guidelines, project managers with presentation templates. Each team can access the system independently without starting from scratch.

How is accessibility built into a design system from the start, rather than added later?

In Bahn X, colours, contrasts, font sizes and interactions are designed from the outset for different needs. Clear accessibility guidelines and regular testing check this continuously for new components, instead of auditing accessibility only at the end.

How does a design system stay consistent over years when many people work on it?

A structured submission process with quality-assurance reviews checks every new component before it enters the system. This way, Bahn X grows with the teams’ needs without losing consistency.

How is a design system linked to existing brand and CI/CD guidelines?

Bahn X brings together Deutsche Bahn’s UX principles, visual design and CD/CI specifications in one system. The result is a consistent look and feel across app, ticket machine and web, without each team reinterpreting the brand rules.

Last updated on 25 September 2026.