📝 Articles
How Colour Works with the DTCG Color Module
n this article, I outline how to effectively use the DTCG Color Module for design tokens, highlighting the importance of structured colour systems in design workflows. I discuss the advantages of using OKLCH color spaces for better accessibility and consistency, as well as the need for automated contrast checks to ensure compliance with WCAG standards.
Renovating a design system: Why modernization should feel like turning dials, not flipping switches
Amy explores how design system modernisation should prioritise incremental improvements over complete rebuilds. Successful renovation requires auditing what works, building a business case, and educating users. By focusing on restoring trust through careful recalibration rather than reinvention, teams can evolve sustainably without burdening users with unnecessary migration overhead.
Finding and Fixing Design System Drift
Randy looks into how design drift happens in fast-moving products and why it's not a failure but entropy. Rather than treating code as wrong, teams should recognise shipped code as the canonical record of "now" whilst Figma represents "next", using AI to detect visual differences and human judgment to decide whether to update Figma or fix code.
A design language is more than a visual theme
Yesenia explores how design languages should teach teams to shape information around meaning rather than simply assemble predefined components. She outlines a framework with four layers: product model (what needs communicating), vocabulary (recognisable visual signs), grammar (how elements compose), and voice (how the product speaks).
👀 Interesting Reads
Design systems need evals
Murphy explores the necessity of implementing evaluation processes for design systems, especially as AI tools become more prevalent. They highlight that while AI can generate components, it cannot replace the foundational work of ensuring design systems are accurate and reliable. Murphy emphasises that this proactive approach is essential for building trust in both design systems and AI tools.
Building an LLM safe design system
The Orbit team outlines their framework-agnostic design system, emphasising the need for a structured approach in the age of AI-generated code. They highlight the importance of creating components that enforce design decisions. The team stresses that a design system must evolve to remain the primary source of truth for design decisions as AI tools become more integrated.
Your design system was never a system.
Izaias explores how design systems function as visual artefacts rather than true systems, and proposes defining components through structured contracts instead of screenshots. This approach shifts conversations from subjective taste to objective governance, enabling components to compile reliably across platforms whilst keeping designers in control of intent.
🖤 Design Systems
eUI Platform
the Design System and component library for the European Commission's digital services.
Thanks
Until next time, thank you genuinely for reading. 🖤 If you'd like to support this newsletter, buying me a coffee goes a long way. I also write about Design Systems and front-end development at alwaystwisted.com and you can always say hello on LinkedIn.