But the proliferation of design systems surfaces the fear that we'll no longer be designing thoughtful experiences but simply connecting predesigned blocks of content and applying preset behaviors that may or may not be appropriate to the solve the problem at hand.

I think in some work environments this is a risk, but then those environments were likely doing that before anyway. Only difference is it's now somewhat more visible and formalised.

The value in design systems for designers as I see it is that it actually frees you up from constantly re-inventing the wheel and it streamlines decisions made at the production end of things. Ideally, that then translates to more time and brainpower put towards the earlier problem-solving side of things.

Like any tool or system, you gotta use it consciously and deliberately!

Had a CV from an FB employee pass over my email client the other week, went straight in the no pile. Absolutely don't want to work with anyone that has anything to do with such a force of evil on the web.

Not a fan of Facebook personally either (although still in the ecosystem thanks to WhatsApp and Instagram) but this mindset is just unnecessarily toxic. You're a human, not a robot, so why be so binary?

I actually found the huge type refreshing. They seem to be proud of the brands they've worked with, putting them front and centre like that.

It really doesn't scale up or make much use of space

Don't forget, making things bigger is also a legitimate use of space.

For the last decade, there has been a cold war happening between designers and developers. Designers have fumed about just how dependent they must be on developers to create mockups that go beyond limited static images. On the flip side, developers have resented their need for skilled designers to help them turn their own concepts into fully fledged, user-friendly interfaces.

This opening paragraph is so aggressive in setting up a false premise.

Because Framer can also prototype for Android, TV, watches, VR and just about any other canvas you can think of. And you're learning a subset of one language to cover all these bases, it's just good value.

I've been offered to take a project but they've stated that payment is an issue. It's an interesting project - a not yet funded startup of second hand clothing

I'm seeing two red flags here. Would stay away.

What makes this better than most other design systems is it frames components around a problem and solutions, and suggests alternatives. It explains the 'what, why, when, where & how'. Most design systems I've seen just present you with a bunch of components and code snippets, which is far less helpful.

From what I've seen Design Inc isn't comparable to a gig economy model at all. It's like curated freelance job listings + curated freelance designers. Not terribly unlike Crew. Once a client and designer are in contact, that's that. The relationship is 1-1 from then on. There isn't really anything about it that devalues or cheapens what we do. I think it's useful for people who don't have a network, or who want to branch their existing one out.

Missed it entirely? Heck no. To keep this analogy going, the stage for VR is still going up, and AR is a model in someone's studio. VR is my current obsession and it's at least a few years away from being where it needs to be technology-wise.

Apple setting the stage for AR & VR products?