Where Design Systems Go Next: Smarter Frameworks, Better Foundations
Issue #37
Design systems are having a moment, not the loud, headline-grabbing kind, but the quiet shift that happens when teams start working smarter, not harder. We’re seeing more systems treated as products, more emphasis on accessibility and adaptability, and a growing awareness that “done” doesn’t really exist.
That’s what makes this community so interesting: everyone’s solving the same puzzle in wildly different ways. The best part? We’re all learning from each other as we go.
In this issue
📚 Featured Articles
⚡️ Community Spotlight
📰 Published in the Last Week
✨ Inspiration
🎗️Support us
📝 Closing Thoughts
📚 Featured Articles
Must-read articles at www.designsystemscollective.com.
💡 Have an article to share? Submit it here!
The Component Maturity Model: From Snowflakes to Scalable Systems by Roberto Moreno Celta
Why We Like It: A practical framework that helps teams move from bespoke components to repeatable, testable building blocks—packed with the kind of maturity checkpoints design teams actually need. It’s the map you wish you’d had before your library turned into a collection of one-off widgets.
Pro Tip: Use the maturity stages as a diagnostic tool to prioritise what to refactor next rather than chasing an impossible “perfect” system.
Design Systems for the Next Era: Flexibility, Accessibility, and AI by Surendar Selvaraj
Why We Like It: A thoughtful synthesis of current pressures on systems, accessibility, adaptability and emergent AI, with concrete implications for governance and component design. It’s the kind of perspective piece that helps steer strategy conversations.
Highlight: Perfect for leaders who need a succinct, future-facing brief to argue for investment in accessibility and adaptable token strategies.
Dev Mode MCP Server in Figma: Step-by-Step with VS Code by Ryda Rashid
Why We Like It: A clear, stepwise tutorial for getting MCP-driven dev mode flowing between Figma and VS Code — the kind of how-to that saves hours and reduces guesswork. It’s the cookbook entry developers will bookmark and actually follow.
Pro Tip: Follow the step sequence exactly to avoid common setup pitfalls; screenshots and commands make this a low-friction win.
Building a Colour System? A Guide for Product Designers by Aileen Xin
Why We Like It: Practical and methodical guidance for translating brand palettes into usable, accessible product color tokens — with clear steps on contrast and token organisation. A must-read for anyone wrestling with accessibility and theming.
Perfect For: Designers responsible for accessibility-compliant palettes and scalable token architectures across products.
⚡️ Community Spotlight
About month back I asked the community to go vote in zeroheight‘s Design Systems Awards Best Article category, as we have so many amazing articles on Design Systems Collective. I’m thirlled to announce that out of the 4 articles nominated in this category, two of them were published over on Design Systems Collective 👇
1. When Color Meets Constraints: A Guide to Brand–Product Collaboration by Ben Martin
2. Transitioning to colour Tokens in Figma: A New Palette for Pennylane by Erica Scolaro
I’m calling on the community again to go support these writers by voting for them in the finals over on Zeroheight here. Voting closes on 3 Nov at 5pm GMT
Well done to both Ben Martin and Erica Scolaro!
📰 Published in the Last Week
To stay updated on the latest articles. We share every new article on our LinkedIn page.
👉 AI in Design Systems: Redefining the Way We Build Digital Products by Uday Kumar Madarapu
👉 Dev Mode MCP Server in Figma: Step-by-Step with VS Code by Ryda Rashid
👉 Opening Tomorrow: The HexaGrid Contributor Request Pipeline by Claus Nisslmüller UX & Brand Designer
👉 Building a Typography System? Make Sure You’ve Covered the Minimum. by Aileen Xin
👉 Building a Colour System? A Guide for Product Designers by Aileen Xin
👉 Designing the Future Together: Why HexaGrid is Now Open for Contributions by Claus Nisslmüller UX & Brand Designer
👉 Figma’s New Web Page Import Feature Is Insane! by Andy Weir
👉 Creating a UX Design System for Faster Prototyping by Muskaan Arai
👉 Code Smells, or Code Potholes? by Avani/Avanish
👉 Figma MCP, Design System and TDD for Scaled Teams by Yeskendir Salgara
👉 How Figma Make Cut Our Design Validation Time by 67% by Pixel Geek
👉 The Future of Design Systems: Why They Aren’t Ready for AI by Tony Reyes
👉 How Figma Could Tap Into MCP: My Journey, Imagination, and a Practical Guide by Surendar Selvaraj
👉 Jira for Design Systems: Transparent Workflow & Handoff by Victoria Serebrennikova
👉 Design Systems for the Next Era: Flexibility, Accessibility, and AI by Surendar Selvaraj
👉 What Happens When Emptiness Becomes a Method? by Isma Casado
👉 The Component Maturity Model: From Snowflakes to Scalable Systems by Roberto Moreno Celta
✨ Inspiration
Are you constantly searching for innovative ideas and fresh insights in design? Look no further! Here’s a curated list of intriguing content that has sparked our interest lately:
🔗 Components as Data by Nathan Curtis
Discover how treating components like data can revolutionize design systems.🔗 Vibe-coding for designers #1 by Romina Kavcic
YouTube Video - Setup GitHub, Cursor and FigmaMCP🔗 Most Designers Have Trouble Balancing by Filippos Protogeridis
Gain insights into the challenges designers face when balancing solo and collaborative work.
📝 Closing Thoughts
If you’ve made it this far, you’re probably one of those people who can’t not care about systems, the kind who still notices inconsistencies after hours or gets a little too excited about cleaner token architecture. You’re in good company.
Keep building, keep sharing, and remember: no system is perfect, only better than the one before.
Shane P Williams — Founding Editor