19 comments

  • Duke CavinskiDuke Cavinski, 5 years ago

    Semantics are going to kill us all.

    He's arguing that a Sketch library in and of itself is not a design system. I don't know who would disagree. Without good code & user research, my perfectly nested symbols are meaningless. I'm not really sure what he's actually trying to do here, though, short of making people kind of confused or possibly defensive.

    23 points
    • Sean LesterSean Lester, 5 years ago

      I have been careful, lately, in the organization about how I use these terms because I do want it to be clear that the design system is bigger than and doesn't stop at a Sketch Library — which I've begun referring to simply as our "component library." Though it does contain and encode many or most of the meaningful decisions and product of the system.

      5 points
    • Sean SchraederSean Schraeder, 5 years ago

      Probably trying to remind people that even though you might have components and patterns laid out in a sketch file without the rest of your organization / team having access and understanding of it it is just a design file; and not yet a system.

      2 points
    • Marc EdwardsMarc Edwards, 5 years ago

      I'm not really sure what he's actually trying to do here

      Me either. A good design system will need something like Sketch Libraries and code, and many processes to maintain them both. Arguing for code-only or design-document only seems to miss the benefits and need for the other. There are definitely cases where only having one would work, but I think it’s more common to need both.

      So yes, your Sketch Library is part of your design system.

      11 points
  • Steven Lamar, 5 years ago

    Breaking news: Everything you think you know is wrong. More at 11.

    Basically everyday on DN

    11 points
    • Marc EdwardsMarc Edwards, 5 years ago

      My head is spinning from all the re-imagining, re-thinking, re-designing, re-inventing and over hyping. :P

      11 points
    • Weston VierreggerWeston Vierregger, 5 years ago

      ha! you are truly a moron, and wrong yet again!

      i am available for speaking engagements. also, please buy my book about why you and all the other idiots are wrong and i am right.

      6 points
  • josh burtonjosh burton, 5 years ago

    http://danieldelaney.net/atomic/

    3 points
  • Andrew C, 5 years ago

    With all due respect to the terrific Brad Frost, but I would argue a front-end lib for devs NEEDS an organized and cascading Sketch (or whatever) component library. Focusing solely on the code style guide would only give you coverage for your devs. One begets the either—two sides of the same coin.

    Unless of course your designers do front end coding as a design interface.

    3 points
  • Mattan IngramMattan Ingram, 5 years ago

    Does anyone actually believe we will achieve the "holy grail" of design to code perfection?

    I have enormous respect for what AirBnB are doing with React/Sketch interplay, but I simply don't see it turning into something you would ACTUALLY put into production code without incredibly strict guidelines on how Sketch designs are created.

    Is having a Sketch component library and an HTML/CSS component library that are two parts of a greater whole really so bad?

    2 points
    • Duke CavinskiDuke Cavinski, 5 years ago

      I think about this a lot. I've been impressed with the tech, but I'm weary about the overhead. Us designers make a lot of concessions and considerations when building these systems out, but I wonder if front-end developers really want this. There's a line of collaboration here but I'm not exactly sure where the overlap really is.

      0 points
  • Jrtorrents Dorman , 5 years ago

    Who cares?

    2 points
  • Matt C, 5 years ago

    Just a speaker (albeit one of my favorites) with a controversial headline and meatless article. That's just how they market themselves. Nothing to see here.

    1 point
  • Clark Van Der Beken, 5 years ago

    Here's what our designers had to say about Brad's article: https://cantina.co/design-systems-who-uses-them-and-what-value-they-deliver-to-organizations/

    0 points
  • Omer BalyaliOmer Balyali, 5 years ago

    Good design should be consistent. Good design must not be arbitrary. Good design should be thought-out to the last detail.

    People are acting like something new is invented, while it's definitely not. Maybe some people are exploring these domains recently, but it doesn't mean they are new. I'm seeing everyday more and more articles about "design systems" and what they promote as a new concept is actually DESIGN 101. So Design Systems is nothing new. Even hundreds of years ago ancient architects employed the idea of consistency in the components they used. Look some cities, too.

    "Design Systems" is already a fundamental part of design. "User Experience" is already a fundamental part of design. Design must be human-centered, so it's ultimate goal is to create a satisfying user experience. Without planning and organising a consistent design (system), it's not possible to create a smooth user experience.

    We don't need shiny words. We need to understand the basic principles of design. We need to start being better designers by employing this principles, everyday.

    So everything you do in the process is naturally part of the design system, because that's what design is.

    0 points
  • Domas MarkeviciusDomas Markevicius, 5 years ago

    Design System is a set of rules that defines how brand elements work and behave together. I would say it doesn't really matter where these rules are defined (docs, code, etc) as long they work.

    0 points