Design version control & why it matters
Take back control by creating versions when you want, not when a design tool does an autosave. Publish your finalized designs to Zeplin to provide clarity to the team on exactly what to build and keep everyone in sync.
Tame the version challenge
Design version control shouldn’t slow the product development process or create rework. Zeplin helps designers & developers address these challenges with features to help take control over versions.
Publish locked designs
Screens and artboards published to Zeplin tell the team they’re ready for development. They’re also locked, so unintended edits are never a problem.
Commit Messages
No need for a magnifying glass. Document changes between versions intentionally using commit messages in Zeplin, so everyone knows what changes were made, and why.
Design version history
Want to go back to a previous version? No problem. With version history in Zeplin, you have your own time machine where you can easily review past versions.
Purpose-built for versioning
Design tools like Figma, Sketch, and Adobe XD are great for creating designs. However, an infinite canvas isn't the best place to manage versions and iterations.
This is where Zeplin comes in. Zeplin handles version control by design, making precisely clear what’s ready for development — without manual workarounds like duplicate design files or enrolling the team in a crash course in naming conventions.
Wait, doesn’t Figma have version control?
Not quite. While you can “all agree” not to change the design during handoff, this gets tricky as screens and team members grow. Using duplicate design files or branches only goes so far. Keeping these unlinked files in sync becomes an entirely new job — not the best use of a designer's skills and time.
Inclusive for the entire team
Design tools can be overwhelming for non designers. The majority of features aren’t applicable to them and scrolling through endless screens can be disorienting.
With Zeplin, everyone on the team — developers, testers, UX writers, product managers, and more — can collaborate without extra training or documentation.
Developers
Version control is just the start. You’ll get optimized assets, specs, and code snippets you’ll actually use with Zeplin extensions including React, Vue.js, Angular, and Swift.
Designers
With Zeplin, you can focus on the design, and reclaim all those hours spent on unnecessary tool training, adding text layers to explain things, or preparing files for handoff. That sounds much better.
Broader Team
Collaboration is entirely different in Zeplin. Screens are organized into nested sections, including headings and tags to provide even more clarity. It’s a structured workspace for everyone.
Zeplin is a friendly place for non‑designers and doesn’t require any orientation, they know what to do and this saves me time and effort…
Connected to the tools you love
Your design team uses Figma, Adobe XD, Sketch or Photoshop to create beautiful designs. You might also use Jira, Trello, Slack, or MS Teams to manage your workflows.
Zeplin integrates with all of these tools and many more, keeping everyone on the same page. Has a new version been published? The team will get a heads up via Slack.
Get started for free
Great products and experiences aren’t made in the first draft. Still, iteration shouldn’t be cumbersome and require the team to decipher what’s new and what isn’t.
With version control in Zeplin, you can provide the clarity the team needs, stay focused on design, and unlock the power of the entire team. This is why leading product teams rely on Zeplin to go from amazing designs to amazing products. Start with Zeplin for free today.
Design version control FAQs
What is design version control?
Design version control allows teams to specify exactly which design versions are ready for development without the need for duplicate files or the risk of edits after publishing.
Why is design version control important?
By publishing finalized design versions you can ensure that all members of the team are on the same page when it comes to development. It streamlines the handoff process by providing more transparency and clarity on designs, allowing developers and project managers to easily plan the next steps.
Does Figma have version control?
Figma has version control for “files” and “pages.” Meaning checking for a specific change on the screen or component level requires scrubbing through the entire file or page history to find a specific difference. By comparison, Zeplin’s version control works at the screen level, allowing you to easily see which part of the design was updated. Zeplin also has commit messages, which allows designers to let everyone know changes were made, and why.