Design
Design systems that survive handoff
A component library is not a design system. What actually keeps a brand consistent once engineering takes over.
Every agency ships a component library. Six months later the product looks nothing like the file. The library was never the problem — the handoff was.
Tokens before components
If colour, spacing and type are hard-coded inside components, every future change is a rewrite. Define primitives, then semantic aliases, then component-level tokens. Engineering consumes the tokens, not the hex codes.
Document the decision, not just the result
A spec that says "use 24px padding" gets overridden. A spec that says "cards use the same padding as their parent section so nested surfaces read as one block" gets respected, because the next person understands the rule.
Give the system an owner
Systems decay without maintenance. Name someone accountable before the engagement ends, and budget for a quarterly review. This is the single highest-leverage thing most teams skip.
