One naming system and one token structure for design, engineering, and AI-generated experiences.
Features were being designed and built with different colors, type, spacing, and naming, so every new screen added more inconsistency.
I led the system from the base up: a naming convention agreed with engineering, a token structure introduced in steps, starting with spacing and then color, and a written record of where the platform sets the limits.
Design and engineering share one naming system and one token structure, and the exceptions the platform requires are documented.
Mood did not have a shared design foundation, so features were being designed and built with different colors, typography, spacing, and naming conventions.
I started with the layer underneath the components: the values and names every component depends on.
The goal was a shared language that design and engineering could agree on, so every new component and pattern would build on the same base.
The biggest problems were not missing components. They were inconsistencies underneath them.
Shopify Checkout could not reproduce every design token exactly, including the original gradient and border radius.
Instead of treating this as a design failure, we documented the limitation and agreed on the closest supported implementation with engineering.
Design and engineering now work from one naming system and a token structure with a clear order: spacing first, then color.
Spacing tokens went into the product first, which gave the team a real-screen check before each new set.
Where the platform sets a limit, as with Shopify Checkout, the exception is written down and agreed, so nobody has to rediscover it screen by screen.
A design system is not only a collection of reusable values.
It is also an agreement between design, engineering, and the platform the product is built on.
The more clearly those constraints are documented, the easier it becomes for both people and AI systems to use the system consistently.
I’m open to product design roles in DTC, e-commerce, and SaaS. Email is the fastest way to reach me.