HMBradley Design System

I started the HMBradley Design System in our early growth stage to keep my designs consistent while maintaining velocity. I intended the design system to be an all-encompassing component library that would cover every use case, but due to the nature of startups with constant product changes and whatnot, the philosophy shifted to producing high quality components that satisfied the most common use cases.

Beyond fixing the hassle of having to manually type in the correct hex codes and text sizes every single time, having a defined type ramp and colour palette meant everyone was on the same page for when to use what style.

When I started this design system initiative, I made the bone-headed move of trying to figure out every possible component we could ever need. What ended up happening was that we'd use a few components extremely frequently, and the ones that were too bespoke were always detached so that modifications could be made.

The components that don't change too much and provide the bulk of user interactions were the ones I focused on. Before my untimely departure, I was on my way to to accomplishing this. Unfortunately, only form inputs and transactions were completed, with proper documentation.

Even after the company pivoted to a different product, the design system remained in use, proving it was flexible enough to adapt beyond its original context.