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: 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

Baseline #22 – How I Organize Variables in Figma

Hello again! 👋 This week’s newsletter is all about working with variables in Figma. Now, having been available for just over a year, if there’s one thing I’ve learned about variables, it’s that nearly every team takes a slightly different approach when it comes to creating and

Baseline #21 – The Long Game of Patience

Hello again! 👋 In case you missed it, I’m taking on a challenge I’ve set for myself to begin publishing weekly newsletters, and well, we’re into week two! I’m so glad to have you here, and even more excited to continue sharing all I can about design,

Baseline #20 – Celebrating the Wins

Hello again! 👋 Many of you may have seen that I recently had to undergo my third surgery in just a few months, and I wanted to spend just a moment to say thank you for all of your support. Whether through a reply or just a thought sent my way,

Baseline #19 – Config 2024: Everything New in Figma

Hello again! 👋 Figma’s 2024 Config conference just wrapped up, and the team shared several new and exciting product announcements. While the updates felt a little more iterative this time around rather than innovative, what Figma shared seems to be paving the way for all that’s near and far

Baseline #18 – Tools for 2024

Hello again! 👋 Last October, I shared that I had decided to embark on a new adventure, which meant leaving my full-time position at Webflow and setting out on an independent path for the first time. I formed my company, Baseline Design, in 2021 to continue doing the work I

Baseline #17 – Typography Variables in Figma Are Here

Hello again! 👋 It’s a chilly spring morning here in Ohio, and it feels great to write and share this post with everyone reading. Framework by Figma, the company's new virtual design systems event, happened this week and included several exciting announcements that I’d love to recap

Baseline #16 – Everything to Know About Multi-editing in Figma

Hello again! 👋 Well, Figma did it again. The team solved and shipped a feature—actually, kind of a whole new way of working within the canvas—to help address a problem I didn’t even know I had. It’s called multi-edit, and even though I’ve only been

Baseline #15 – Creating with Play

Hello again! 👋 Readers of this newsletter may know that one of the projects I’ve long worked on was creating a series of iOS UI kits available within the Figma Community. It was one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve had in my career, and I still can’t

Baseline #14 – A Guide to Variables in Figma

Hello again! 👋 Phew, what a busy couple of weeks! Since returning home from Figma’s 2023 Config conference, I’ve been spending time in the tool, working to adjust all of the various component libraries to use the many new features now available. In this edition of the newsletter, and

Baseline #13 – Everything New in Figma

Hello again! 👋 Ahh, what a fantastic week. I’ve been in my old home, San Francisco, for the past few days to attend Figma’s largest-ever Config design conference. I was so thankful to have the opportunity to say hi to so many new friends and to reconnect with