Notes on design & engineering.
Short, practical reads on components, design systems, and the craft in between — every one of them under three minutes.
Design Systems
Building a Production Component Library: From shadcn Primitives to Your Own Design System
A folder of components is not a product.
Building Design Systems That Engineers Actually Want to Use
Adoption comes from ownership, not enforcement.
Design Tokens: The Single Source of Truth Your Team Needs
Name by purpose, sync to your Tailwind theme.
Component API Design: How to Build Components People Love Using
Compose, don't configure. Leave an exit.
Using Storybook to Build Better Design Systems
Stories are the spec, tested on every PR.
How Spectrum UI Accelerates Development Speed and Design Consistency
Copy the component, own the code.
How to Make Shadcn UI Components Actually Yours
You own the code, so bend it.
How to Build a Design System That Actually Scales
Four layers, and governance that lives in PRs.
Interface Craft
Motion Design for Engineers: Making Interfaces Feel Alive
Easing is 90 percent of good motion.
The Psychology of UI: Why Good Engineers Should Study Design Principles
Four perception rules you can ship today.
Dark Mode Done Right: A Practical Guide for Web Apps
Semantic tokens, not inverted colors.
Micro-Interactions That Make Users Say "This App Feels Nice"
Fast feedback, calm transitions.
Typography for Developers: The Only Guide You Need
Five decisions and your type just works.
Building a Color System for Your Web App (Without a Designer)
Build ramps, not one-off colors.
Building Forms That Don't Make Users Want to Quit
Labels up, validate on blur, one column.
Spacing Systems: Why Your UI Looks Off (And How to Fix It)
Build every gap on a 4px unit.
UI Mistakes That Drive Users Away (And How to Fix Them)
The six things a design review always flags.
CSS & Layout
Tailwind CSS v4: Complete Migration Guide and Game-Changing New Features
Config moves from JS into CSS.
View Transitions API: Building Smooth Page Animations Without JavaScript
Native crossfades, one function call.
Responsive Design in 2026: Modern CSS That Actually Works
Fluid type, container queries, fewer breakpoints.
Tailwind CSS Tips That Senior Devs Actually Use
The utilities that stop the margin wars.
CSS Grid Layouts You Will Use on Every Project
Four grid patterns, copy and paste.
React & Performance
React 19 Server Actions: The Complete Guide to Full-Stack React Components
Forms that submit straight to the server.
Accessibility from Day One: A Design Engineer's Responsibility
Accessibility is a default, not an audit.
UI Performance: How to Make Your React App Feel Instant
Fast is a feeling, not a score.
Next.js Server Components: The Game-Changer You Need to Know About
Server by default, client where you must.
Workflow & Career
AI-Powered UI Development: How LLMs Are Changing the Way We Build Interfaces
Treat AI like a fast, literal junior.
The Design Engineer's Playbook: Bridging Creativity and Code
You own the seam between design and code.
From Figma to Functional: My Design-to-Development Workflow
From frame to component without drift.
The Art of Prototyping: When to Code, When to Design
One prototype answers one question.
Collaboration Patterns: How Design Engineers Transform Team Dynamics
Stop handing off. Work in one loop.
The Future of Design Engineering: AI, No-Code, and What Comes Next
As typing gets cheap, taste appreciates.
The Design Engineer Toolbox: What I Use Every Day in 2026
Tools that shorten the design-to-code loop.
How to Prepare for a Design Engineer Interview
Build live, talk tradeoffs, show details.
The Design Handoff Checklist: What Designers Should Give Engineers
The ten-line handoff that saves a week.