Dear (none)Designer,

Welcome back to the fifty-first Design at Scale™ Newsletter – where we explore innovation and how design sparks real change in large organisations and agencies.

What is a design system?

Over the past 30 years, we have learnt that design systems make our work easier. We can create books, brochures, posters, invitations, and visual designs for products and services faster and more intelligently with design systems, rather than building every piece of the puzzle from scratch. Yet, regrettably, many businesses—especially agencies—still favour a copy-and-paste approach. Delivering templates is often equated to billable hours, creating more income than transitioning to a design system that enables both the agency and the client to work smarter and faster, staying aligned with customer needs and ever-changing requirements.

The wrong side of the problem

Unfortunately, we have often focused on the wrong side of the problem. When pitching design systems, we sometimes frame them as extra work—just as responsive design was once seen as more work for developers in the early 2000s. Design systems are sometimes presented as taking away potential collaboration between agency and client, when in fact, the opposite is true. A well-integrated design system actually unlocks greater partnership and agility.

Let’s consider two different models: one where a small agency builds a design system to win a major client, and another where a large agency develops a design system to become an integrated part of the organisational ecosystem and deliver at scale.

Smaller agencies often pitch for clients in order to secure work, and luckily with the design system there is an opportunity for immediate scale-up and greater integration of design services within the organisation. We often hear that it is not feasible or economically viable to create a design system alongside the work for a campaign or piece of advertising.

If you, as a design team of one, create a design system that allows you to control modes and breakpoints, you immediately gain the ability to branch your system and create multiple variants of the same visual with a single click. This empowerment enables a single team to integrate over 50 variations for every advertising campaign. In this way, you can deliver in a week what would otherwise take a month using the old copy-and-paste method.

For larger agencies selling a design system to a large organisation, integration can be challenging. Several case studies from Design at Scale™ highlight how, where, and with whom to integrate the token classification between both parties. This process often involves lengthy negotiations. The best practice is to build the design system on the agency side and then demonstrate its capabilities within the client’s organisation, ensuring a smooth and effective integration.

Evaluation Point

The key evaluation point always comes down to funding. How much should you pay for a design system? The answer is straightforward: if you want your design to last and grow, the cost of the design system should be distributed across the design function. Ideally, you should have both a design system designer and a design system architect (a developer who organises and manages the tokens in the code repository) to ensure a robust solution.

Cost per unit calculations

Regrettably, costs are often calculated per unit—one component equals one to three days—so design systems for medium to large organisations can take 44 to 60 weeks to build. In reality, by setting a solid foundation and building the first component, every subsequent component and piece of documentation becomes faster to create. What is often planned as a year-long project can, with Design at Scale™, become a three- to four-month transformation. This shift allows engineering teams to focus on building components, rather than spending 60% of their time on quality assurance and testing.

It is disappointing to see some design systems priced at £1,500,000 when, in fact, they can be delivered for a fraction 1/4 of the cost with the right approach.

Here is how

A design system is typically defined by three stages: mobilisation, operation, and acceleration.
Mobilisation phase involves collecting and optimising all UI kits so they work seamlessly with a single foundation—usually a process that takes two to four months.
This is followed by the operation phase, where the design system is integrated into the organisation and the value it creates becomes clear. The business can then see exactly where improvements are needed and how requirements translate into real code.
The third phase is acceleration, where the agency or partner selects a representative—usually a senior designer—within the organisation to take ownership of the process. This person measures and maintains the optimised delivery at scale, ensuring ongoing improvement and value.

A series of articles will follow, describing in detail where and how designers sometimes fall short in delivering value at scale, and how to overcome these challenges for successful design system integration.

Key takeaways

Key Takeaway 1: Design systems empower agility and efficiency.

Agencies often present design systems as extra work, but this overlooks their true value. By focusing on integration and collaboration, design systems enable agencies and clients to respond rapidly to customers’ needs in a dynamic market.

Key Takeaway 2: Integration, not isolation, is the future of design.

Small agencies may feel weakened by building design systems, but even a single designer using a modern approach can manage multiple variants with ease. This flexibility means what once took a month can now be delivered in just a week.

Key Takeaway 3: Even small teams can scale with the right system.

For large agencies, integration can be challenging and often involves lengthy negotiations. The best approach is to build the design system on the agency side and then demonstrate its capabilities in the client’s environment.

Key Takeaway 4: Demonstrate, don’t just deliver—show real integration.

Investment in a design system should be spread across the design function to ensure it is robust and evolves with business needs. Ideally, organisations should support both a design system designer and an architect to achieve lasting value.

Key Takeaway 5: Invest in both design and architecture for long-term success.

Calculating costs per component often results in drawn-out, expensive projects, but a strong foundation speeds up every new addition. This is the Design at Scale™ difference: greater agility, empowerment, and true value.

Key Takeaway 6: A strong foundation speeds up delivery and reduces costs.

Some design systems are priced far too high, when they could be delivered for a fraction of the cost with the right approach. The process involves three key stages: mobilisation, operation, and acceleration.

Key Takeaway 7: Value comes from stages—mobilise, operate, accelerate.

Mobilisation should take just two to four months before the organisation begins to see the real benefits. Acceleration allows the client to own the process and maintain optimised delivery at scale.

Key Takeaway 8: Hand over ownership for continuous improvement.

Recognising where designers fall short is crucial to mastering design system integration. Design at Scale™ turns challenges into lessons, helping every team become more efficient, agile, and scalable.

Key Takeaway 9: Learn from challenges to master design at scale.

By embracing these principles, organisations of any size can move beyond outdated copy-and-paste methods and unlock the true agility and collaborative power of design at Scale™.

For more information, please visit Designa at Scale™ – GRID Magazine, where you can find additional relevant articles that explore high-performing teams, self-organising teams of 001, teams of 010, and teams of 100 that deliver the value proposition within a product-led environment.