On Theme: Design Systems in Depth

Elyse Holladay
  • 5.0 (1)
  • DESIGN
  • UPDATED MONTHLY

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. S2E1 2025 Predictions Recap with Noelle Lansford

    3D AGO

    S2E1 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

  2. 11/10/2025 · BONUS

    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

  3. 09/21/2025 · BONUS

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

    05/12/2025

    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
  5. 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
  6. Naming is hard, but have you tried working with people? with Guy Segal — #15

    04/28/2025

    Naming is hard, but have you tried working with people? with Guy Segal — #15

    Guy Segal joins Elyse to unpack the messy, complicated world of… people. Guy shares practical strategies from his experience at Thomson Reuters, including the powerful "pre-mortem" exercise he used to rebuild trust and alignment for the design system. They get vulnerable and unpack why (as cliche as it sounds!) genuine listening, storytelling, learning to give and receive feedback, and actively engaging with product teams, is so much more impactful than relying solely on processes or artifacts. Plus, Guy shares why he hated it at first when product teams started using the name of the design system. Links & References Guy Segal on LinkedInGuy's talk at BeMore Festival on feedback, Working with Humans: Resolving Conflicts with EmpathyGuy's talk Mastering the Painless Design CritiqueGuy on the Knapsack Design Systems PodcastGuy's podcast, Design Downtime, celebrating the joys of living a balanced creative life outside the pixels and wireframesBrad Frost's article Choosing a Name for your Design System 💖 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

    1h 6m
  7. The Four Quadrants of Design System Impact, with Ben Callahan — #14

    04/21/2025

    The Four Quadrants of Design System Impact, with Ben Callahan — #14

    Ben Callahan joins Elyse for a fun conversation on creating impact with design systems. Ben shares insights from his consulting experience, discussing common pitfalls like organizations expecting a design system without adequately supporting their teams. They break down the "Four Quadrants of Design System Impact" framework, which breaks down tactical versus strategic work, helping teams avoid pitfalls like endless component creation. Plus, hear Ben’s predictions for the future of design systems Links & References Ben Callahan on LinkedInThe QuestionRedwoods, Ben's community supporting design system practitionersBen's post on The Four Quadrants and Why you’re NOT seeing Holistic Impact from your Design SystemBen's overview of our episode of The QuestionCam Worboy's Broken Promises of Design Systems talk at Config 2024 (and the worst screen made with DS components)Kotter's Leading Change book 💖 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

    1h 13m
  8. Shipping new ways of working to a classic organization with the One UPS system, with Marcela Rodriguez Joos — #13

    04/14/2025

    Shipping new ways of working to a classic organization with the One UPS system, with Marcela Rodriguez Joos — #13

    Marcela Rodriguez Joos shares the story behind the One UPS project, a massive effort to modernize and unify UPS’ brand and digital experiences through a new design system. Marcela reveals how a “why does everything look different?” moment from their CEO was the catalyst for this ambitious effort, how they’re collaborating across a massive org, and successfully reducing development timelines from years down to months. Plus, Marcela’s team dishes out their design system spice takes! Links & References Marcela Rodriguez Joos on LinkedInMarcela on the Into Design Systems Connect your Design System to business value Roundtable 💖 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

    54 min
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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.

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