Digital Design, October 2026

Design system progress

A short update on the shared foundations, priorities and next decisions across design and engineering.

Working draft for the design and product teams.

Why this matters

For design

  • Fewer repeated decisions
  • More consistent patterns
  • Less rework between Figma and code

For engineering

  • Clearer tokens and components
  • Faster implementation
  • Better reuse across projects

Focus

We want fewer local fixes and more shared decisions.

When a team solves the same problem twice, the system gets harder to trust and slower to ship.

What we have now

Strong foundations

  • Shared colour tokens
  • Systematic spacing and type rules
  • A growing library of reusable patterns

Remaining gaps

  • Slight drift between Figma and code
  • Some local workarounds for one-offs
  • Inconsistent naming in a few edge cases

Priority areas

  • Semantic tokens: define meaning before appearance so sections can adapt cleanly.
  • Shared component rules: reduce “same thing, slightly different” patterns.
  • Fluid type and spacing: let layouts scale more naturally across breakpoints.
  • Clear governance: decide when to reuse, extend or create something new.

Next decisions

This quarter

  • Align the language in Figma and code
  • Agree on the core component rules
  • Document the pattern for exceptions

Next step

  • Test these decisions on a real page or feature
  • Measure what gets faster and calmer
  • Update the system based on what we learn

Closing

The goal is not perfection. It is a system people trust.

If we can make the right choice once, then reuse it everywhere, we create a faster and more consistent design culture.