The Anatomy of a Design System
summary
Outlines a four-layer design system: foundations layer, tokens layer, core systems layer, and components, and breaks each into three concrete parts: assets, processes, documentation. Shows CSS variables, SASS mix-ins and Figma files as real deliverables, cites the 2022 design system survey and a free maturity assessment, and gives a concrete ROI example where one client measures roughly $3 saved for every $1 spent after system adoption.
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chapters (21)
- 0:00Introduction
- 1:49Client call sparked design system
- 3:36Research behind design systems
- 4:19Defining design systems
- 5:46Foundations layer
- 6:48Tokens layer
- 7:51Core systems layer
- 9:17Components layer
- 10:40Tangible assets
- 12:03Governance and contribution
- 14:55Documentation
- 17:02Maturity model overview
- 17:44Stage one: version one
- 18:25Stage two growing adoption
- 19:09Stage three: teenage years
- 19:52Stage four: healthy program
- 20:58Top-down versus grassroots
- 24:53Maturity framework
- 27:45Maintaining stability
- 33:39Sustaining authority
- 34:43Resources and closing
