Gerald Fullam’s Post

I had a great time diving into the technical weeds of design system engineering on the Syntax.fm podcast with Wes Bos and Scott Tolinski. We cover a lot of ground here! https://lnkd.in/eJjnNZZ6 “What’s in a design system figma library isn’t as much of a spec for developers to build it out. What this figma library is a promise of what is in code. It is a representation of what exists in the coded design system.” #designsystems #frontend #ui #design #development

I tell you what: it was such a relief when Figma finally released typography variable support! For years, we've helped organizations craft solid design token architecture, and now that Figma Variables are more robust we can finally get much closer to parity with design tokens in code. As soon as typography variable support rolled out, Big Medium's Figma master Sam Solomon quickly put typography tokens to work for our client with stellar results. Here's typography variables in action demonstrating responsive typography as well as theme switching between dark and light mode. 🙌 If your team could use help setting up a sturdy, robust design token architecture, get in touch! #design #ui #ux #productdesign #designtokens #figma #figmavariables

💩💩 Don't Put Crap In The Design System 💩💩https://lnkd.in/ei-ubFsA It's one of my favorite Josh Clark lines that cuts through the noise of a conversation. What is crap? Crap is rushed work, low-quality work, shortcuts, experiments, first drafts, one-offs, and other unvetted/untested/unverified work. Let’s be clear: crap is inevitable and is produced for reasons both unfortunate and understandable. But while crap is an unavoidable part of product design and development, it has no place in a design system. A design system is critical frontend infrastructure, therefore it needs to be sturdy, reliable, and dependable. Design systems contain boring, tried-and-true, vetted, high-quality solutions to common problems encountered at an organization. When consuming teams encounter crap when working with the design system, trust is broken and the integrity of the system erodes. Those experiences can very much impact the long-term success of the system. For those reasons, a design system needs to be protected from crap. So how should we deal with crap? - Slow down (easier said than done!) - Establish a layered UI ecosystem (https://lnkd.in/eKm7ysDi) - Recognize the design system and products move at their own pace (https://lnkd.in/d7BVsrAy) - Create a recipes layer in the ecosystem (https://lnkd.in/dAcUGprA) - Formalize a governance process and prioritize conversation and communication (https://lnkd.in/eeSRU2t) - Always use branching in your workflow Crap is inevitable, but implementing these tactics can help organizations manage it in a controlled and thoughtful way. At Big Medium, we help teams deal with crap all the time, so if your organization could use some help, get in touch! https://lnkd.in/gk3JpKbN #designsystems #crap #process #governance #uidesign #uxdesign #

** Announcing The Question, Episode 11: With Co Host Brad Frost ** This week we're talking about a global #designsystem. Get your answers in soon to participate in the deep dive this Thursday at noon Eastern! ▶ ▶ ▶ https://bit.ly/3OEusid ◀ ◀ ◀ You have 48 hours!