A Design System Your Engineers Reach For

A lean MVP system (token architecture, Figma Variables, and a core component set) typically takes 4–6 weeks. A full system with documentation, contribution governance, and Storybook coverage takes 8–10 weeks. Timeline depends on your stack, existing codebase, and how much of the visual language is already defined.

Yes. We start with an audit of what exists (components, Figma files, and code patterns) and build on top of it where possible. A greenfield system is the exception; most teams have something we can extend rather than replace.

It depends on whether engineering uses it. If your Figma library and your codebase have drifted, with different values, component names and variants, then you have two systems, not one. The token architecture and the contribution model are what close that gap.

We build on React with Tailwind CSS as the token layer and shadcn/ui or Radix as the component foundation, the dominant stack for modern web products. If your team uses a different framework (Vue, Angular, Flutter), we adapt the token architecture and documentation approach accordingly.

That's the right question, and the one most design system projects skip. We involve engineering from the audit phase, not the handoff phase. The contribution model, naming conventions, and documentation format are designed around how your engineers actually work, not how design system purists say they should.

Not at the start. We build systems with a part-time owner model in mind: a senior engineer or lead designer who spends 10–20% of their time curating contributions. A dedicated DS team becomes necessary at 3+ product teams. We'll tell you when you're at that stage.

Yes, and it's one of the most common engagements we do. Failed systems usually have one of two problems: the token layer was never established (so everything is hardcoded), or the adoption model was missing (so product teams bypassed it). We audit what exists, identify the root cause, and rebuild from there.

It makes the system more valuable, not less. AI coding tools like Cursor, Claude, and v0 generate inconsistent UI without defined constraints: different colors, spacing, and radius on every generation. Your Tailwind config with brand tokens and your named component set becomes the context that makes AI output consistent and on-brand.

It is a fixed-scope quote based on your team size, existing codebase and the level of governance you need, agreed after a 30-minute call. If you want to test the fit first, a Trial Week on your most-rebuilt component set is credited toward the engagement.