What it does
Aksel is NAV’s shared resource for digital product work, combining React components, CSS, tokens and icons. The site also covers forms, content, user insight and inclusive design. Public code uses the MIT licence, and the mainly Norwegian guides explain how to install and keep the packages aligned.
Aksel puts interface building blocks beside practical product guidance. The God praksis section covers topics such as interviews and form writing, while Designsystemet provides components, layout primitives, tokens and icons.
The code introduction installs @navikt/ds-react and @navikt/ds-css together. Import the stylesheet once, then import components such as Button where needed. The CSS package includes component styling, resets, print styles and design-token variables. Icons are a separate package and can be used as React components or SVGs.
The setup guide uses a Provider to change component language. It also requires all Aksel packages in an application to use the same version number. Fonts load from NAV’s CDN, so the guide supplies preload markup and the required font-source policy setting. The code is free under MIT; public npm installation does not need a NAV account.
Strengths
- Product guidance covers form writing and interviews alongside UI code
- The CSS package includes print styling and design-token variables
- Icons are available as React components or SVGs
Watch out for
- The site’s main guidance is in Norwegian
- Aksel packages need matching version numbers
- The default CDN font setup may require a font-source policy change
Best for
- Teams studying NAV’s approach to public-service product design
Sources
- Aksel product and design guidance (Oct 27, 2026)
- Getting started with Aksel code packages (Oct 27, 2026)
- Aksel MIT licence (Oct 27, 2026)