The Challenge
Prism had grown quickly. Their visual identity was a patchwork of different design decisions made by different people at different times. They needed consistency without starting over.
The Solution
We built a flexible system around core primitives: one typeface, one color scale, one spacing system. Everything else could vary. The result was cohesion without uniformity.
Rules of Thumb
- 1
Design systems are about decisions, not rules. Document the reasoning, not just the output.
- 2
Flexibility comes from constraints, not from options.
- 3
The best systems are invisible to users and obvious to teammates.
The Insight
Early-stage companies often resist design systems because they feel like overhead. But inconsistency costs more—in revisions, in confusion, and in diluted brand perception.
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