A method and system for performing consistency checking of one or more design representations having different design types. A translator for each design type obtains information from each design needed to evaluate rules that are design type-neutral. The described examples also allow a user to add rules using predefined rule terms. In addition, certain examples allow the user to add terms to the rule set and to make new rules with the added terms. Each new term added to a rule set has a corresponding abstraction function in a translator for each design type. Thus, the abstraction functions are not design type-neutral.