welcome to On Theme, a new design systems podcast

Hey, I’m Elyse Holladay and this is On Theme, Design Systems in Depth, my new podcast where I’ll be exploring what is (and isn’t) working for design systems.

I’ve seen Design Systems go from a twinkle of an idea to an established niche that new grads actively try to “break into”.  Design systems work is due for a major reinvention moment, and I want to talk about it.

Every conversation I have with a DS person seems to conclude with, “and we need to do things differently, because there’s a ton of value in design systems, but…”

If you’ve been in this game as long as I have— 10 years and counting—you’re likely in a senior or leadership role and hungry for content that speaks to those challenges.

There’s plenty of blog posts like “How to Build a Perfect Token Architecture” and “Ten Mistakes You Should NEVER Make With Your First Design System!!!” But where’s “How my team didn’t start a design system from scratch and instead saved the one we have”? Or “Coordinating engineering and design work on a systems team”?

We work in as critical bridge between disciplines, the owner of tools that save companies millions of dollars, blazing a trail of how UI gets built.

Collectively, I think we do have an idea of how this whole design systems thing works. We’ve been shipping for a decade. We’ve seen economic highs and lows. We survived the redesign, the reorg, the rebrand. We’re out there doing the damn thing, and we can learn a ton from each other.

My guests are design system industry names you know—and some new faces—and they will give us a look into their real projects, real challenges, and real vision for the future.

Together we’ll be exploring how successful design systems get built, maintained, and deliver impact for their product teams. I want to go deeper than components and get more detailed than "it depends". You’ll have aha moments and actionable insights, hear thoughtful discussions, and yes, definitely spicy takes. 🌶️

Episodes are in the works and set to release in 2025.

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🎧 Listen to the podcast trailer 

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