Design Systems WTF #12: A Global Design System

Luke and Michelle dive into the pros and cons of the idea of a global design system. | Continue reading


@bradfrost.com | 11 months ago

Are We Watching The Internet Die?

As we speak, the battle that platforms are fighting is against generative spam, a cartoonish and obvious threat of outright nonsense, meaningless chum that can and should (and likely will) be stopped. In the process, they’re failing to see that […] | Continue reading


@bradfrost.com | 11 months ago

Design Systems: From Atomic Design to a Global Solution

I was recently a guest on the CodingCatDev podcast, where we covered a lot of ground around design systems, including the design system ecosystem, the idea of a Global Design System, and many of the challenges teams face when creating […] | Continue reading


@bradfrost.com | 11 months ago

What’s Next for a Global Design System

I recently published an article outlining the need for a Global Design System. In my post I stated: A Global Design System would improve the quality and accessibility of the world’s web experiences, save the world’s web designers and developers millions of hours, and make bette … | Continue reading


@bradfrost.com | 11 months ago

Evolving design systems | A free Webflow resource

As organizations race to deliver best-in-class digital experiences to their customers, the ability to innovate has become essential. Building a strong foundation is no longer the end-all-be-all to success; it’s also the ability to reimagine what’s possible tomorrow that truly set … | Continue reading


@bradfrost.com | 11 months ago

Better Apps: Delivering Universal UI Patterns as Web Components – Microsoft Research

Why do we see so little reuse of web UI across organizations? Web projects freely use countless open libraries from npm and elsewhere, but it’s rare to find high-quality web UI code which is flexible and reliable enough for immediate reuse. This makes creating great user experien … | Continue reading


@bradfrost.com | 11 months ago

What is Utility-First CSS?: HeydonWorks

What’s this? Some Heydon Pickering commentary on utility-first CSS? Allow me to fetch my popcorn. | Continue reading


@bradfrost.com | 11 months ago

AI and Design Systems

We’ve all watched with simultaneous fascination and trepidation as a flood of AI-powered tools continues to wash over the digital landscape. At Big Medium, we help complex organizations design at scale and pragmatically adopt new technologies, so naturally we’ve been putting AI t … | Continue reading


@bradfrost.com | 11 months ago

Periodical 15 – Christopher Butler ☼

And then she asked an interesting question: Is it art if it wasn’t your idea? I was glad to answer “yes,” and explain to her why — that all art is a copy of something — though I wish I’d had the presence of mind to ask her a question beforehand, like, “If I drew a picture of you, … | Continue reading


@bradfrost.com | 1 year ago

Can Apple Win Back Music | Vulf Opinion

I love me some Vulfpeck. Especially the music. But also the aesthetic and really the whole package. This piece of commentary is great for a number of reasons, including his sensible proposed change in business model around music. But the main reason I’m sharing this is when he sp … | Continue reading


@bradfrost.com | 1 year ago

Thoughts on a Global Design System – Chris Coyier

Here’s Chris with some excellent thoughts on the idea of a Global Design System. Between this post and our ShopTalk Show conversation, there’s some great stuff to respond to! Chris spells out a lot of tough questions and challenges around bringing something like this to life, and … | Continue reading


@bradfrost.com | 1 year ago

Are Design Systems a zero-interest rate phenomenon? | daverupert.com

I love this entire post from Dave, which matches my experience helping scores of organizations navigate their design system efforts. Design systems are a hard sell on their own, as Dave explains: There’s no particular “hair on fire” problem that design systems solve that instantl … | Continue reading


@bradfrost.com | 1 year ago

Come to Frostapalooza!

Woohoo! I am so incredibly excited to announce that Frostapalooza is now live! The show is on August 17th at Mr. Smalls Theatre in Pittsburgh, PA, and you can see the event on Mr. Smalls’ website and get tickets at Ticketmaster. Please get your tickets and get ’em soon; I’m hopin … | Continue reading


@bradfrost.com | 1 year ago

601: Brad Frost on A Global Design System + Frostapalooza – ShopTalk

Hooo boy, this is great! I had a fantastic time on the ShopTalk Show talking about the need for a Global Design System. It was a great conversation with two people that I feel fundamentally get it; so it was great to be able to dig into the rationale, the details, what would be h … | Continue reading


@bradfrost.com | 1 year ago

Introducing the “A Little Big Medium” newsletter

Exciting news! My Big Medium colleagues and I are launching a newsletter called “A Little Big Medium”. The website does a good job explaining what it’s all about: Love email? Neither do we! But we really, really, really love sharing and receiving genuinely helpful perspectives … | Continue reading


@bradfrost.com | 1 year ago

The Gulf Between Design and Engineering / Design Systems International

The most crucial mistake in the collaboration between designers and engineers happens when we conflate this division of tools with a need for a strong division of labor. Treating design and engineering as two completely separate processes leads to an isolated waterfall workflow w … | Continue reading


@bradfrost.com | 1 year ago

What’s inside this crater in Madagascar?

I found this to be incredibly captivating. | Continue reading


@bradfrost.com | 1 year ago

A Global Design System

TL;DR: This is a call to action to create a Global Design System that provides the world’s web designers & developers a library of common UI components. A Global Design System would improve the quality and accessibility of the world’s web experiences, save the world’s web designe … | Continue reading


@bradfrost.com | 1 year ago

Retired country maths teacher Robert Martiensen created thousands of artworks in secret – ABC News

This is freaking wild: Retired country maths teacher Robert Martiensen created thousands of artworks in secret. Dude created over 7,000 works of art without telling anybody. That blows my mind. | Continue reading


@bradfrost.com | 1 year ago

It’s 2023, here is why your web design sucks.

I don’t know how else to answer this, besides: the gendering of design as women’s work is why people don’t use the title “web designer” anymore. It’s been belittled and othered away. It’s why we’ve split that web design role into two; now you’re either a UX designer and you can s … | Continue reading


@bradfrost.com | 1 year ago

The World’s Writing Systems

This web site presents one reference glyph and basic information for each of the world’s writing systems. Source: The World’s Writing Systems | Continue reading


@bradfrost.com | 1 year ago

17 Life-Learnings from 17 Years of The Marginalian – The Marginalian

There is so much beautiful wisdom in this: 17 Life-Learnings from 17 Years of The Marginalian. I’ve been following Maria Popova for years, and have always love the way she’s used hyperlinks to weave through lines across many voices, perspectives, and ages. So this meta-roundup is … | Continue reading


@bradfrost.com | 1 year ago

Amazon’s plastic packaging waste grew 18% in 2021, report says | Grist

If all the company’s plastic from 2021 were converted into plastic air pillows — the inflated pouches inserted in some Amazon packages to reduce shifting during transit — and laid side by side, Miller said it would circle the globe more than 800 times. This is ridiculous and shou … | Continue reading


@bradfrost.com | 1 year ago

2024 Design System Vibes

OUT: Pattern Police IN: Empathic Sherpas OUT: An overstuffed design system libraryIN: A thoughtful, layer-cake design system ecosystem  OUT: Unnecessarily verbose documentationIN: Just enough, just-in-time documentation  OUT: Single discipline-focused design systemsIN: Cross-d … | Continue reading


@bradfrost.com | 1 year ago

2023

There’s no doubt about it; 2023 was objectively way better than 2022. And 2021. And 2020. And 2018. Our family has been through a lot over the last 5-ish years, and I’m happy to report that 2023 contained no major medical emergencies, deaths in the family, or bizarre incidents. I … | Continue reading


@bradfrost.com | 1 year ago

Footer — The only footer gallery on earth.

Footer — The only footer gallery on earth. This gives me all the web design gallery nostalgic feels. | Continue reading


@bradfrost.com | 1 year ago

Tina Weymouth’s Moog Rogue with Stop Making Sense Presets

This is so cool; I found this image on Facebook that shows the Moog Rogue Tina Weymouth used on Talking Heads’ incredible Stop Making Sense concert film. It’s fascinating to see the song presets laid out using tape and shapes — a nice little system in a pre-digital preset world! … | Continue reading


@bradfrost.com | 1 year ago

Joining Big Medium

Well I’ll be, I’ve now been running my own business for over a decade! In January 2013 I left agency life and set out into the world of self employment. When I announced I was going to start my own company, here’s what I envisioned I would be doing: At the beginning of the new … | Continue reading


@bradfrost.com | 1 year ago

Ship Faster by Building Design Systems Slower | Big Medium

Here’s my partner Josh Clark with an absolute barn-burner of an article: Ship Faster by Building Design Systems Slower. In our work at Big Medium, we’ve guided dozens of design system teams who have felt the stress of being perceived as a bottleneck that can’t keep up with produc … | Continue reading


@bradfrost.com | 1 year ago

Finding a way to make it happen

I’ve discovered — or rather rediscovered — that playing music is one of the biggest sources of joy and fulfillment in my life. I play music — usually by myself — every day, but it’s the connection with other musicians where the real magic happens. I’ve been thinking about how to … | Continue reading


@bradfrost.com | 1 year ago

From Template to Atoms.

I’m definitely not trying to single this particular article, but it’s a common misconception about atomic design that’s persisted over the years: Starting Point: The initial stage of Atomic design begins with the smallest design elements, such as buttons, labels, form inputs, and … | Continue reading


@bradfrost.com | 1 year ago

The Design System Ecosystem

What does a mature, end-to-end design system look like in a big, complex organization? What are all the moving pieces, and how do they hang together as a well-considered architecture? What’s required and what’s optional? Hold onto your butts, because we’re going to go deep on thi … | Continue reading


@bradfrost.com | 1 year ago

How To Make A Strong Case For Accessibility – Smart Interface Design Patterns

Getting support for accessibility efforts isn’t easy. There are many accessibility myths, wrong assumptions and expectations that make accessibility look like a complex, expensive and time-consuming project. Let’s fix that! Below are some practical techniques that has been workin … | Continue reading


@bradfrost.com | 1 year ago

Design Systems with Brad Frost – The State of the Web – Google Chrome Developers

YouTube’s recommendation algorithm led me to this interview I did about design systems with Google Chrome Developers: While it was published in Feb 2020 (), I think it still holds up pretty dang well! | Continue reading


@bradfrost.com | 1 year ago

Educational Sensational Inspirational Foundational

Absolutely honored to have atomic design included in this roundup of Educational Sensational Inspirational Foundational posts. | Continue reading


@bradfrost.com | 1 year ago

AI: The Next Chapter in Design | Figma Blog

It’s an honor to be referenced at Figma’s Config keynote and follow-up article AI: The Next Chapter in Design.  I like how Figma used the atomic design methodology to articulate where AI might prove to be most useful. Lower-level atoms and molecules might be boring, but they serv … | Continue reading


@bradfrost.com | 1 year ago

Never waste your midlife crisis – Austin Kleon

You should never waste your midlife crisis. You can do great things with a midlife crisis. I love all of Austin’s great blogging and sharing, and this one stuck with me: never waste your midlife crisis. As a human being rocketing towards mid-life, I feel this sentiment big time. … | Continue reading


@bradfrost.com | 1 year ago

News is bad for you – and giving up reading it will make you happier | The Guardian

News is bad for your health. It leads to fear and aggression, and hinders your creativity and ability to think deeply. The solution? Stop consuming it altogether News is bad for you – and giving up reading it will make you happier. This comes as a surprise to no one, but is also … | Continue reading


@bradfrost.com | 1 year ago

How to Be Happier Without Really Trying – Barking Up The Wrong Tree

How to Be Happier Without Really Trying summarizes a lot of the tactics I take in my own life to be happier (errr, more tranquil). This post does a good job summarizing Epicurean philosophies Live For Pleasure: Not the frat party kind. Prize tranquility. We should be strategic h … | Continue reading


@bradfrost.com | 1 year ago

Frostapalooza!

I’m elated to announce that on August 17th, 2024 — exactly one year from now — I’m throwing a big-ass charity concert/party/happening in Pittsburgh, PA featuring an array of my talented musical collaborators, friends, and family. I’d love for you — yes you reading this! — to come … | Continue reading


@bradfrost.com | 1 year ago

Hatch Conference – An event for UX & design experts in Berlin & online

Besides talking about the current state of Design and his masterclass at Hatch, we dive into AI, holding onto things you love that don’t necessarily pay the bills, and he reveals the story on how that famous astronaut helmet came to be. I had a fun time chatting with Damian ahead … | Continue reading


@bradfrost.com | 1 year ago

Sabbradical Vibe Check #1

Why hello there! I’m over three weeks into my 3-month sabbatical. Or Sabbradical as several people have pointed out (which, holy shit why didn’t I think of that!). Sabbradical Brad Imagine waking up in the morning and saying “I wonder what I’m going to do today?” That’s the hi … | Continue reading


@bradfrost.com | 1 year ago

Pfizer’s Design System, spatial design, and AI is coming after your (boring) job

Kevin Coyle, currently working with Brad Frost and friends at Big Medium, is an incredible all-star professional in tech currently focusing on frontend. We met when we enlisted his help to migrate a mutual client onto a Terraform setup in AWS, and we both later became engrossed w … | Continue reading


@bradfrost.com | 1 year ago

No Handoff: close the gap between product and engineering

I love this initiative from Shamsi Brinn: No Handoff: close the gap between product and engineering. Imagine a project where teams work together at each stage, progressively improving the end result based on qualitative and quantitative data. Project handoff is inefficient, risky … | Continue reading


@bradfrost.com | 1 year ago

“Artificial Intelligence & Humanity,” an article by Dan Mall

I love Dan’s Artificial Intelligence & Humanity as it mirrors a lot of my own thinking about how best to wield AI. If I embrace the role of AI as an accident generator, then I’d gladly give it all the areas of my life where accidents have little penalty: the parts that have littl … | Continue reading


@bradfrost.com | 1 year ago

User Inyerface – A worst-practice UI experiment

User Inyerface – A worst-practice UI experiment is “a challenging exploration of user interactions and design patterns.” Hilariously bad UX and a lot of fun. | Continue reading


@bradfrost.com | 1 year ago

Stop! Sabbatical time

I’m taking a three-month sabbatical! It feels really weird to write that sentence, and it feels even weirder to add an exclamation mark at the end of it. But that’s what’s happening, even if it hasn’t sunk in yet. I’ve been pulled away from work on multiple occasions over the la … | Continue reading


@bradfrost.com | 1 year ago

The A.I. Dilemma – March 9, 2023

Well ain’t this just some pretty damning and sobering stuff. The examples they use to demonstrate the lack of thought or safety built into these technologies is incredibly unnerving. They demonstrate how basic, 101-level stuff to keep kids safe is just entirely absent from these … | Continue reading


@bradfrost.com | 1 year ago