So, What is a visual system? Polymotions Design Approach

Found us while spiraling through 100 open tabs trying to make your new thing look less… messy?

Welcome. You’re in the right place.

Polymotions creates visual systems for brands and products. We apply a multidisciplinary design approach to building and communicating your ideas and those things that only you can see in your head.

We're talking clean diagrams, cohesive design, how-to animations, and product visualizations that work for everything you may need for your business. What you see is: pitch decks, product animation, last minute social media announcements, and even that graphic or diagram you should include in your FDA applications. But you might be like… WTF is a visual system then?

Fair question. Let me answer that. 

Visual systems: Your mom’s secret recipe book, that you think it’s just love.

A visual system is your structured set of rules, components, and visual elements that keeps your design language consistent and recognizable.

You've probably heard about a brand's DNA and how it should show up everywhere, every time. That's where branding systems come in. And while branding can be a system, not all visual systems include branding. 

Branding systems tell people who you are. Interaction systems show them what to do. A visual system makes sure that the message stays consistent across everything you create. Internally, externally, in 2D or 3D, visual systems solve different problems depending on what you're building.

Here's what that looks like in practice…

For a project like Myostep, a medical device still in development:

• We focuses on the architecture of the device and the user interaction. What elements can be used that communicate the device function and intention correctly while ensuring correct usability and optimized experience?

• We needed a new visual system that can be used to communicate clearly and repeatedly for documentation, instructions, and technical specifications of the device to internal teams, stakeholders, and testing users.

• We developed a visual system for regulatory submissions, structured layouts and standardized visual language that helps IRB reviewers quickly parse safety data and device functionality without confusion. 

For a project like Conture:

• We created a visual system for manufacturing partners, supply chain documentation, quality control processes, and training materials for assembly teams. The focus is on precision, repeatability, and error prevention at production scale.

• We then reutilize some of the elements to create customer-facing materials, sales enablement tools, training and patient education resources.

Each system serves a different "getting it" problem while representing and building your brand. Our visual systems exist purely to ensure comprehension, safety, and usability for specific audiences and contexts.

And while you are following the secret recipe, your audience gets the final visuals that look amazing and clearly represent your intention. So in a way they also think it is just love. 🙂

So… Why would you want a visual system?

Well, a strong visual system will make your design process 10X better. Maybe 100X, but we're trying to stay humble here.

• Faster decision-making: No need to stare at blank Canva boards or use whatever template feels right at the moment. Your system already decided for you.

• Team alignment: Writers, developers, and designers stop speaking different languages. Everyone's working from the same playbook.

• Cognitive efficiency: People can focus on your actual content instead of figuring out your interface. Less mental energy spent decoding, more energy spent understanding.

• Error reduction: Systematic visual logic prevents miscommunication. When your technical documentation follows the same visual rules, people make fewer mistakes.

• Streamlined workflows: Templates, component libraries, and established visual logic mean less back-and-forth and more getting shit done.

• Seamless translation: Your problem-solving logic flows naturally across different formats - from user interfaces to technical docs to training materials.

And why does this matter?

Because messy is expensive.

Without a system, every new project becomes a guessing game. With a system, you unlock speed, clarity, and serious credibility.

So, do you need a system?

• Are you building something complex that people need to understand quickly and safely?

• Are you constantly answering "How should this look?" instead of focusing on what it needs to communicate?

• Are you working with teams who keep creating conflicting visual approaches to the same problems?

• Are you developing products where user confusion could mean real consequences?

• Are you creating technical content that needs to work for both experts and beginners?

• Are you scaling operations where visual inconsistency creates operational chaos?

If yes to one or more above then you need a visual system and hey! I know a place…

We’ve created bundles based on the most common visual system we work on but every project is different, so let’s turn your scattered assets into a system that actually works. 

Start here with a free project review.