What Zeplin is (in plain words)

• Zeplin is a design delivery platform: a focused place where finalized designs are organized, documented, reviewed, and handed off to developers with specs, tokens, and code snippets. It sits between your design tool and your codebase, keeping everyone aligned. (zeplin.io)

• It’s not a design creation tool. You still design in Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD, or Photoshop, then publish to Zeplin for a clean, ready-to-build handoff. (zeplin.io)

Why it matters for a solid Back Office

• Single source of truth for delivery: Zeplin separates in-progress explorations from ready-to-build work, so stakeholders, PMs, and engineers always know what’s approved and current. That structure reduces noise and rework. (zeplin.io)

• Governance and auditability: Version history, commit messages, and visual diffs create a traceable record of changes, which helps with reviews, sign-offs, and compliance-minded workflows. (support.zeplin.io)

• Built for cross‑team operations: Approvals, tags, and Slack/Jira integrations tie design delivery into your operational tools—useful for planning, release coordination, and status reporting. (support.zeplin.io)

• Enterprise controls: Options like SAML SSO and documented SOC 2 Type II posture support security and identity standards common in larger organizations. (support.zeplin.io)

Core things Zeplin helps you do

• Finalize and approve designs

• Track versions like Git (for designs)

• Organize projects so anyone can find things fast

• Map the complete user journey

• Document behavior right on the screen

• Catch issues automatically with AI

• Hand off to dev with confidence

• Scale your design system

• Keep work in sync with your toolchain

Move work from “exploring” to “approved” with structured Approvals, clean review views, and automatic “Approval Status” tags you can filter by. (support.zeplin.io)
Keep every version with timestamps and messages, then use Version Diff to spotlight exactly what changed—down to pixels, radius, or tokens. (support.zeplin.io)
Use Sections, Tags, Tag Groups, and Screen Variants to create a standardized, searchable structure across big projects. AI Organize can suggest sections/variants automatically. (support.zeplin.io)
With Flows, you can visualize screens, states, and branches (including shapes and dynamic connectors) so developers and QA see the “happy path” and edge cases in one place. (zeplin.io)
Use Annotations to pin requirements, behaviors, API endpoints, videos/GIFs, and prototype links directly on designs—always visible, not lost in threads. (support.zeplin.io)
Run AI Design Review to flag layout inconsistencies, token mismatches, contrast issues, and typos before dev starts; use AI Organize to structure screens faster. (support.zeplin.io)
Developers get precise specs, optimized assets, layout/constraints, and code snippets via extensions tailored to web, iOS, and Android stacks. (zeplin.io)
Centralize components, colors, text styles, and design tokens in Global Styleguides; highlight components on screens; and link to actual code via Connected Components or the Storybook integration. (support.zeplin.io)
Attach Zeplin resources to Jira issues and view live issue details in Zeplin; send updates to Slack or Teams so the right people see changes immediately. (zeplin.io)

How a typical handoff feels with Zeplin

• Publish finalized frames from your design tool to a Zeplin project that’s organized by sections, variants, and tags. Everyone can filter by status or assignee to find what matters. (support.zeplin.io)

• Run AI Design Review, fix quick issues, and request Approvals. Approved designs are clearly marked and filterable. (support.zeplin.io)

• Document behaviors with Annotations, attach related Jira tickets, and notify channels in Slack so build work can start without a meeting. (support.zeplin.io)

• Developers inspect specs and snippets, export tokens, and compare versions with Version Diff. QA can use Pop Out to overlay the design on the running app for pixel checks. (support.zeplin.io)

Where Zeplin fits in your stack

• Upstream: Designers create in Figma/Sketch/XD/PS, then publish to Zeplin. (zeplin.io)

• Center: Zeplin is the delivery hub with organization, documentation, flows, approvals, and version history. (zeplin.io)

• Downstream: Engineers consume specs, assets, tokens, and code snippets; link components to code and Storybook; and stay updated via Jira/Slack/Teams. (zeplin.io)

The back-office upside (summed up)

• Clarity: one organized, searchable home for ready-to-build designs and their requirements. (zeplin.io)

• Structure: deliberate versioning, approvals, and status tags support standard operating procedures and audits. (support.zeplin.io)

• Confidence: AI checks and connected design systems reduce handoff ambiguity and implementation drift. (support.zeplin.io)

Quick reality check (what Zeplin is not)

• Zeplin doesn’t replace your design tool. It specializes in efficient, accurate handoffs—the part that often slows teams down and creates rework. (zeplin.io)

In short

• If you want a Back Office-friendly way to run design delivery—complete with approvals, version control, structured organization, journey mapping, contextual documentation, AI review, design system visibility, and code-ready output—Zeplin gives you the rails and receipts to do it at scale. (support.zeplin.io)