Reading JSON Without Reading Code

The shape behind your tokens, screens, and pull requests

The Reach and the Recipe

What MCP and Skills are, and when to use each

Naming the Middle

Notes on the semantic layer of a design system

Room to Be Loud

Brand and product want different things, and both do better with their own space.

Between the Lines: July 2026

A couple of new training clients, what we heard on a recent discovery call, and the harder question we're working through about who design systems are really for.

The Project We Walked Away From

There's a project the team and I still think about often, one that never moved forward at all. It's stuck with me for what it taught us about the questions we ask before the work ever begins. A little while back, we here at Baseline were

The Guess Dressed Up As A Plan

Why we started flagging scope gaps instead of estimating around them

Naming Is The Argument

Names are how your system explains itself. To designers, engineers, and AI.

Config 2026: Everything New in Figma

I just got back from 2026’s Figma Config, held in San Francisco, and I’m still sorting through everything I saw and heard while I was there. But after some rest and getting over the annual Config Cold 🤧, I’m excited to share many of my thoughts about what’

Between the Lines: June 2026

Announcing our partnership with Southleft, what we're watching at Config, and why we've been telling some teams to hold off.

What Being Ready Actually Means

And why it has less to do with your system's polish than you might think

Governance Without Gatekeeping

What a good contribution process is actually protecting

Six Months Later

What a good engagement actually leaves behind

Between the Lines

Between the Lines: May 2026

Documentation that looks complete but isn't useful. Token foundations under pressure. Slot architecture on a live project.

What the System Is Trying to Tell You

What you find when you audit a design system you didn't build, and why most of it makes more sense than it looks

You're Not Behind

These past few days have felt like a lot. On top of everything, there's been new tools, strong opinions, and a constant stream of hot takes about what all of this means for design. I shared a short post about it, mostly as a reminder to myself, and

The MCP Tool That's Changing How I Use Figma

Over the past year, I’ve been watching MCP tools quickly make their way into conversations and workflows around design systems. I’ve been really curious, but if I’m being completely honest, I’ve also been a bit intimidated. Our industry moved quickly before the introduction of AI, and

How I Think About Starting With Variables

A Simple Way to Get Unstuck With Variables Happy New Year, everyone! 👋 As I’ve been settling back into work, I’ve been thinking a lot about how teams get started with design systems work, especially when things feel big or intimidating. One area that comes up again and again

Baseline #28 – Buying Back My Time (and What It’s Teaching Me)

Some reflections, a few changes behind the scenes, and what I’m learning about protecting time, trusting others, and building Baseline for the long run. Hello again! 👋 After a little time away from the newsletter and from social media, it feels so good to be sitting down and writing here

Baseline #27 – A Year in Reflection

Hello again! 👋 As the year winds down, I’ve been reflecting on Baseline’s very first full calendar year—what’s gone better than expected, what’s been (much) harder than I imagined, and all of the surprises that came along the way. In this newsletter, I’d love to

Baseline #26 – Staying Focused with Time-blocking

👋 Hello again! When I first went independent last year, I thought I’d finally have full control over my time and schedule—but wow, was I wrong. Instead of feeling free and creative, almost immediately, I actually felt pretty scattered and stressed. The quiet, creative time I had been craving

Baseline #25 – Using Auto Layout in Figma

Hello again! 👋 In this week’s newsletter, I’d love to dive into one of my favorite topics with you: creating responsive and robust components within Figma. For the past eight years of my design career, I’ve spent most of my time working in Figma, partnering with designers and

Baseline #24 – The Scariest Part of Going Independent

Hello again! 👋 When I was deciding if going independent was the right move, I found myself wrestling with what felt like a thousand questions, each carrying both excitement and a steady dose of panic and anxiety. Could I find enough work? Was I really ready to leave the structure of

Baseline #23 – Using Constraints in Figma

Hello again! 👋 Creating a component in Figma? Easy! Creating a component that works with nearly endless screen widths and heights? Well, that’s not as easy. Within this week’s newsletter, I’d love to share one feature within Figma that can help us create responsive designs and components that