Systems8 min read
Design Systems Rot. Here Is the Maintenance Plan.
A system is not a launch, it is a garden. Four ways ours quietly decayed, and the unglamorous routine that brought it back.
Theo MarchettiThe archive
Every issue we have published
6 issues on the work behind the work. Filter by what you are wrestling with today.
Theo Marchetti
Typography6 min read
The Type Scale That Finally Made Sense
We threw out the ratio and started from the seven jobs type actually does on a page. The scale got smaller and the pages got faster to read.
Imogen Reyes
Process5 min read
Wireframes Are a Conversation, Not a Deliverable
Polish arrives too early and the room stops arguing with the thinking. On fidelity, hard screens first, and why three is better than one.
Nadia Okonkwo
Engineering7 min read
Shaving 400ms Off Every Page We Ship
The median looked fine, which is exactly why we missed it. Where the time actually went, in the order we found it.
Theo Marchetti
Process6 min read
How We Run a Critique Without Bruising Anyone
Most critiques fail in the first ninety seconds, before anyone mentions the design. Ask for one thing, describe before you judge.
Nadia Okonkwo
Craft5 min read
Mobile First Was Never About Screen Size
The width is the least interesting constraint. One thumb, bad light, and an interrupted session are the ones that decide whether it works.
Imogen ReyesOne considered issue, every other Tuesday
No roundups, no reposted threads. Just the notes we wish someone had written down before we learned it the expensive way.
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