📝 Articles
Is There Too Much Design in Design Systems?
Shaun discovered a striking ratio of design to engineering roles and asks an uncomfortable question: if most hiring is design-focused, who's actually implementing the work? They share what worked in their own team and explore several theories about what might be happening across the industry.
Understanding $extensions in the Design Tokens Specification
I explore how $extensions in the DTCG specification provides a structured way to add custom metadata without breaking standards or creating chaos. A deliberate escape hatch that lets teams attach tool-specific config, governance data, or experimental features while keeping tokens portable and clean.
I've also built an Extensions Checker to help teams audit what extensions are being used in their token files, which I introduced in this article.
Design Language System Case Study: WEBLEX at Viacom & a Fortune 100
Oleg shares two detailed case studies demonstrating how language-first design systems (DOM plus tokens at the layout layer) scaled across 100+ media brands at Viacom and a Fortune 100 financial organisation. By treating frameworks as thin adapters rather than the system itself, both implementations collapsed rebrands from months to token remaps, consolidated fragmented systems, and made accessibility enforcement predictable through governance in code.
👀 Interesting Reads
“Code Only” Props in Figma.
Nathan introduces a technique for adding "code only props" to Figma components using hidden layers to capture non-visual properties like accessibility labels, semantic tags, and validation rules. This approach enables system designers to define comprehensive component APIs in Figma whilst keeping product designers' interfaces clean and focused on relevant properties.
The path to a unified experience language
Alberto discusses the essential balance of flexibility within Design Systems, emphasising that the right approach hinges on team maturity and trust. They illustrate how systems evolve alongside their users, advocating for a tailored level of structure that fosters collaboration and quality, while also highlighting the importance of leadership in recognising and addressing misalignments to cultivate a culture of trust and adaptability.
5 accessibility checks to run on every component
Hidde outlines five practical accessibility checks to run on Design System components, from keyboard navigation to screen reader compatibility. By testing these aspects during development, teams can catch issues early and ensure components meet requirements like WCAG standards and the European Accessibility Act before they reach production.
🧰 Tools / Resources
Variable Atlas
A Figma plugin that solves a visibility gap by showing exactly where design tokens are used across files, making it easier to audit adoption, manage deprecations, and understand dependencies. Brandon built Variable Atlas to offer searchable, filterable views of token bindings at scale, with performance optimised for large files and support for both local and remote collections.
PenPot Colour palette kit - Design tokens edition
Laura offers a Penpot starter kit for building app colour palettes using design tokens, featuring demo files that update when token values change.