Did you know 88% of users are less likely to return to a site after a bad user experience?
That means a clunky or confusing design isn’t just annoying but it actually costs your business. However, Salesforce Lightning Design gives your CRM a sleek, modern look without confusing your team. If you want people to actually use the system you paid for, getting the design right is non-negotiable.
Let’s tell you what Salesforce Lightning Design is and how it works!
Think of Salesforce Lightning Design like your CRM’s wardrobe. It makes sure your whole setup looks good and works well while SLDS is the rulebook.
The Salesforce Design System (SLDS) is a set of guidelines, design patterns and code frameworks that help developers and admins create apps and features that feel like Salesforce. Even if someone custom-builds something, it’ll still look like part of the platform. That’s the magic.
Why does this matter? Because consistency is key. If your team logs into Salesforce and sees a button shaped like a hotdog and a dropdown from 2005, they’re gonna bail. With SLDS every button, menu and layout feels modern, smooth and easy on the eyes.
Plus, you don’t need to be a design pro to use it. Even basic customizations will look sharp if you follow the system. That means fewer headaches and more “Oh wow, this looks clean.”
Still wondering why you need Salesforce Lightning Design in your toolkit? Here’s why:
Okay, now let’s dig into what actually makes SLDS tick.
These four core areas keep everything smooth, scalable and seriously user-friendly. If you're working in Salesforce in 2025, you need to get cozy with these.
Think of design tokens like Lego bricks. They're small and have reusable pieces like colors, font sizes, spacing, etc. These help you build big and polished apps without losing consistency.
Here’s why they matter:
Example: Want to change the color theme? Update a token. Boom. Done.
This is the fun part. The Salesforce Lightning Design system gives you a giant set of ready-made components. We're talking about:
Each one looks great, works fast and follows accessibility standards. And yes, they’re all responsive too. That means your app works just as well on mobile, tablet or desktop—no weird glitches or awkward layouts.
Pro tip: Use these components out of the box. Don’t reinvent the wheel. Your future self will thank you.
Accessibility isn’t optional anymore. In 2025, companies are prioritizing inclusive design—and Salesforce Lightning Design is already ahead of the game.
Here’s what SLDS covers by default:
That means: You won’t have to worry about ADA lawsuits or unhappy users. Everything’s already been thought through.
Plus, accessible design also helps everyone not just users with disabilities. Cleaner layouts, readable text and intuitive flows help all users move faster.
“But wait—I don’t want my app to look like everyone else's.”
Totally valid. With SLDS you can tweak and brand your components without breaking functionality. Want your buttons in cherry red? Go for it. Prefer rounded corners over squares? Easy.
Just remember: Stick to design tokens and component classes. That way, you keep the Lightning speed and don’t break the UI. What’s even better is that devs can work with designers smoothly. They can talk colors, spacing and type without needing a graphic design degree.
Before you do anything, check out the official Lightning Design System site.
This is where Salesforce gives you ready-made patterns, icons, fonts, colors and layout blueprints. Just copy and paste them into your custom components. Easy.
Bonus tip: Bookmark this site. You’ll use it often!
Instead of writing a bunch of new CSS from scratch (which can be messy), you can use the built-in SLDS CSS classes.
Here’s how:
Using these classes means your app will stay consistent with the Lightning look and feel.
Salesforce Lightning Design comes with a 12-column grid. That’s great because it helps you line things up without fuss.
You can stack, split or space elements just like you do in tools like Bootstrap. But it’s all native to Salesforce.
Try this combo:
html
CopyEdit
<div class="slds-grid slds-wrap">
<div class="slds-col slds-size_1-of-2">Column 1</div>
<div class="slds-col slds-size_1-of-2">Column 2</div>
</div>
Fast, clean and flexible.
Never hardcode your hex colors. Instead, use SLDS design tokens like:
This keeps your styles future-proof. If Salesforce updates the theme or branding, your app stays in sync without manual fixes.
Salesforce has a giant library of icons ready to go. No need to import or design new ones.
To use one, do this:
html
CopyEdit
That’s it. Just plug and play.
Salesforce users are often on the go. So your Lightning components must look great on tablets and phones too.
SLDS is mobile responsive out of the box, but only if you follow best practices:
When in doubt, run a test on mobile early.
Salesforce Lightning Design has a whole army of utility classes for quick fixes.
Need to align something in the center? Try slds-align_absolute-center
Want bold text? Use slds-text-heading_medium
Need a margin? slds-m-around_medium will do the trick.
No custom CSS needed—just use what’s already there.
You don’t need to reinvent the wheel. SLDS has base Lightning components that already follow the design rules.
Like:
Just plug them in. They’ll look right and act right—without any extra work.
Yes, Salesforce Lightning Design gives you tons of flexibility. But simpler is better.
Stick to a few fonts. Avoid too many colors. Use white space well. And most importantly—design for real users, not just to impress your dev team.
Your goal is clarity, not decoration.
Great design is not just for the eyes but enhances user experience. Salesforce Lightning Design helps teams work faster, understand data better and actually enjoy using the CRM. Good design keeps everything running smoother, whether you’re customizing a dashboard or building something from scratch.
PixelConsulting can take your Salesforce from “meh” to amazing. From layout fixes to full redesigns we’ve got you. Contact us today if you want to improve your Salesforce interface design. We offer customization, automation and integration services to enhance overall user adoption with Salesforce!
The original name of the Salesforce Lightning Design System (SLDS) was simply “Lightning Design System.” Salesforce later added the brand name to make it clear that it’s their official UI framework for Lightning Experience.
The Salesforce Lightning Design System is a CSS framework and design toolkit. It includes ready-made styles, icons, fonts and layout tools. SLDS helps developers build apps that look and feel like native Salesforce Lightning, without writing custom CSS from scratch.
Salesforce Lightning Design System (SLDS) is a CSS framework with blueprints, utility classes, icons, tokens and responsive grids. It helps you build UIs that smoothly match the Lightning Experience look and feel without writing custom CSS.
No. SLDS is purely CSS-based. You can use it with Lightning, Visualforce, React, Angular—any front-end stack. It doesn’t include JavaScript logic, so you keep design separate from behavior.
SLDS supports all modern browsers: Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge—plus Internet Explorer 11. It ensures consistent, accessible UI across platforms.
SLDS styling hooks are CSS custom properties that let you tweak base components. They keep your overrides clean and future-proof. For example, use hooks to adjust spacing or themes without breaking updates.
Component Blueprints are pure HTML/CSS guidelines in SLDS. Lightning Components (Aura or LWC) are reusable, functional UI elements built using those blueprints. One defines the look, the other defines behavior.
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