On Theme: Design Systems in Depth

Elyse Holladay
  • 5,0 (1)
  • DESIGN
  • OGNI MESE

Exploring how successful design systems get built, maintained, and deliver impact. Design systems is having a major reinvention moment, and I want to share what's working from design system practitioners out there forging the way. Expect aha moments, actionable insights, thoughtful discussions, and spicy takes from accomplished design system practitioners. Hosted by Elyse Holladay.

  1. What to do with AI on your design system right now (and make a better way of working)

    5 GG FA ·  CONTENUTI EXTRA

    What to do with AI on your design system right now (and make a better way of working)

    There’s so much happening in the world of design systems: so much noise, so many new tools, and so much pressure. Where to start? Building on what I wrote on the Zeroheight blog, in this minisode I’m offering tactical suggestions for cutting through the noise. I cover the three areas you should be focusing on in your design system right now—MCPs, skills, and agents.md; how to get started designing with code; and defining design guidelines and semantic components—plus a detour into governance and ways of working. But the bit that’s occupying my brain space right now is that I believe that design system practitioners are uniquely positioned to help organizations change how they work with AI, because we own the layer that says: this is how you build UI and how design and engineering collaborate.  Maybe the most important thing that you can be doing is thinking about how you can help your product teams think about what it means to build products today, and how we do it. Resources My writing for Zeroheight:AI in design systems: What’s changing in 20263 practical ways LLMs can support design systems teams today (Oct 2025)Some Murphy Trueman hits:The prompt you never wroteYour next design system user is an agentYour design system might be AI-ready. Your organisation probably isn't.Your design system has opinions. They're just not being enforcedThe AI feedback loop: When design systems train the models that critique themThe bidirectional design system: When code talks back to designErika Flowers, Open Vector📲 Send me a text! Support the show

    23 min
  2. What comes after the infinite canvas? with Robin Cannon

    16 MAR

    What comes after the infinite canvas? with Robin Cannon

    Y’all know I am fully bought in on design-with-code tools, so I loved this episode with Robin Cannon, VP of Product at Knapsack and former IBM Carbon and J.P. Morgan Salt design system exec, on why he thinks the infinite canvas is obsolete, and what we might replace it with.  Robin chats with us about a future where software design happens in the same medium as production code, making the “infinite canvas” abstraction obsolete. But what does “designing with code” really look like today… and in the future? We explore a world with tools that could enable us to build with design-system rules plus broader product context. Plus we discuss why today’s design-with-code tools aren’t quite there yet, the enterprise barriers to working in new ways, and you as a designer can make this shift. Links & References Robin Cannon on LinkedInrobin-cannon.comBuilding for coherence, not compliance, lessons from Baldurs Gate 3, by Murphy TruemanErika Flowers, Zero Vector and Open Vector design approachAgentic Development is just MMOs for Coding, and I am LFG, Erika FlowersKnapsackDessn and Mockdown 💖 Season 2 of On Theme is officially here! 🎉 💖 If you like what you're hearing from On Theme, hit subscribe in your favorite podcast platform and sign up to get episode release notes at designsystemsontheme.com! On Theme is  sponsor free and listener supported, so please support the show with a monthly donation. 📲 Send me a text! Support the show

    55 min
  3. Five 2026 Predictions for Design Systems with Noelle Lansford

    2 MAR

    Five 2026 Predictions for Design Systems with Noelle Lansford

    Noelle joins me again for some 2026 predictions trend encapsulations, and we try to unpack the absolute madness of the first two months of 2026.  1️⃣  Designing with code is in, making pictures of UIs is out.  2️⃣ The new critical deliverables for systems teams are design guidelines, agent rules, tokens, and semantic APIs.  3️⃣ We're gonna see a real focus on brand expression, but also on one-offs.  4️⃣ Design system teams, you do organizational behavior change.  5️⃣ The next chapter of the design system narrative is around quality rather than efficiency.  Plus: the rise of the design engineer and a return to the early 2000s ways of working? I hope so!, nothingburger brands, and design systems gatekeeping. Season 2 of On Theme is officially here! 🎉 💖 If you like what you're hearing from On Theme, please hit subscribe on your favorite podcast platform. On Theme is  sponsor free and listener supported, so please support the show with a monthly donation. 📲 Send me a text! Support the show

    55 min
  4. 2025 Predictions Recap with Noelle Lansford

    9 FEB

    2025 Predictions Recap with Noelle Lansford

    My very first minisode of the entire podcast was some 2025 predictions, and a lot has changed. (Honestly, what was I thinking trying to make predictions in the era of AI? fml) Noelle Lansford joined me for Season Two's official first episode to  recap my 2025 predictions with me and look back on the trends and themes we saw in design-systems-land last year. Stay tuned for part two where we dive in to our 2026 predictions! 📲 Send me a text! Support the show

    41 min

  5. 10/11/2025 ·  CONTENUTI EXTRA

    On Theme S1 Minisode 4: Converge conference 2025 Recap

    I'm back from Zeroheight's Converge conference in Bristol, UK, with my recap and thoughts. In this minisode, find out my three major themes from the event: reducing complexity, shifting towards code to design, and the narratives "framing our future".  Resources & Links: Zeroheight's Converge3 practical ways LLMs can support design systems teams today, on the Zeroheight blogFrom Promises to Practice: the Future of Design Systems, my talk at Converge (video coming soon)John Voss's talk Framing the Future (coming soon)US Section 174 R&D Tax explained📲 Send me a text! Support the show

    30 min

  6. 21/09/2025 ·  CONTENUTI EXTRA

    On Theme S1 Minisode 3: This summer's AI vibe shift and conference news!

    Surprise minisode! In this quick episode, hear a few ways AI tools are useful for design systems now, my new favorite design-eng handoff tool, and three can't-miss industry events this fall. 📲 Send me a text! Support the show

    20 min
  7. Creativity and design system leadership in the age of AI, with Natalya Shelburne — #17

    12/05/2025

    Creativity and design system leadership in the age of AI, with Natalya Shelburne — #17

    Chat, this is the last episode of season one! Thank you for listening and supporting the show! There's no better way to wrap up, IMO, than an optimistic and curious exploration of what it means to be a creative human in an increasingly technological world. So to wrap up season one, Natalya Shelburne joins me to explore how design leaders can cultivate creativity in an era of rapid technological and organizational change. Drawing from her degree and research in creativity, Natalya shares insights on fostering innovation, overcoming fear-driven management styles, and why embracing artistic thinking is essential for teams navigating the age of AI. She explains the importance of creating safe environments to unlock creative potential and why outdated corporate structures simply can't compete. Plus, flow state, goats, expansive thinking, and hobbies.  Links & References Natalya Shelburne on LinkedInGitHub PrimerNatalya's talk at Beyond Tellerand, Channeling Chaos: Role of the Artist in the Age of AITwilio's Paste design system assistantResearch and books mentioned:Lev Vygotsky on cognitive developmentLauren Sosniak on phases of learningDr. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's classic book Flow and an overviewOliver Burkeman's Four Thousand WeeksThe Extended Mind 💖 On Theme is a brand new podcast, so if you like what you're hearing, please hit subscribe and sign up at designsystemsontheme.com! 🎨🎟️ Into Design Systems is May 25-28 Get your ticket at intodesignsystems.com/ontheme Into Design Systems is back with their annual virtual conference, May 28-30, 2025. Get your ticket now for three days of practical, hands on sessions showing the what, why, and how of design systems. This year, the conference is focused on developer handoff, accessibility, multi brand theming, and governance. You'll get hands on knowledge you can put to use at work immediately, files and resources to take away, and hear from very well known industry speakers.  📲 Send me a text! Support the show

    59 min
  8. But "design systems as infrastructure" is boring, with Sam Anderson — #16

    05/05/2025

    But "design systems as infrastructure" is boring, with Sam Anderson — #16

    Y’all, I’ll be honest. Some days, I’m scared and nervous and uncomfortable with AI’s emergence, and implications, too. But I am also curiously optimistic, and more importantly — I don’t want to use any platform I have to spread even more fear and discontent and drama. So today you’re getting a dose of two things that I love: infrastructure and optimism. Drawing from his experience leading design systems at three very large orgs, Sam Anderson from Intuit shares how framing design systems as infrastructure can help them be recognized as essential to business success. He shares his vision for the importance of patterns as the next frontier of systems work, particularly in a rapidly changing tech landscape accelerated by AI, and we talk about what leadership conversations look like. Plus, Sam drops a spicy take that he believes AI won’t destroy design system jobs but make us even more valuable. Links & References Sam Anderson on LinkedInSam's article Design Systems are Infrastructure: The evolution of design systems in the age of AINate Baldwin's Leonardo and Proportio 💖 On Theme is a brand new podcast, so if you like what you're hearing, please hit subscribe and sign up at designsystemsontheme.com! 🎨🎟️ Into Design Systems is May 25-28 Get your ticket at intodesignsystems.com/ontheme Into Design Systems is back with their annual virtual conference, May 28-30, 2025. Get your ticket now for three days of practical, hands on sessions showing the what, why, and how of design systems. This year, the conference is focused on developer handoff, accessibility, multi brand theming, and governance. You'll get hands on knowledge you can put to use at work immediately, files and resources to take away, and hear from very well known industry speakers.  📲 Send me a text! Support the show

    48 min
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Descrizione

Exploring how successful design systems get built, maintained, and deliver impact. Design systems is having a major reinvention moment, and I want to share what's working from design system practitioners out there forging the way. Expect aha moments, actionable insights, thoughtful discussions, and spicy takes from accomplished design system practitioners. Hosted by Elyse Holladay.

Informazioni

  • Creatore
    Elyse Holladay
  • Anni di attività
    2024 - 2026
  • Puntate
    26
  • Classificazione
    Contenuti adatti a tutti
  • Copyright
    © 2026 On Theme: Design Systems in Depth
  • Sito web del podcast
    On Theme: Design Systems in Depth

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