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Design System Lead

  • 239 installs
  • 451 repo stars
  • Updated July 21, 2026
  • borghei/claude-skills

design-system-lead is a design skill that defines tokens, components, accessibility rules, and contribution guidelines so developers keeping multiple product surfaces visually and behaviorally consistent at scale.

About

design-system-lead is an agent skill from borghei/claude-skills that guides creation and governance of design systems across multiple product surfaces. The skill covers design token architecture, component API contracts, accessibility rule enforcement, and contribution guidelines for growing teams. Developers reach for design-system-lead when a codebase spans web dashboards, mobile shells, or extension UIs that drift visually without shared standards. Output includes token schemas, component specifications, a11y checklists, and contributor workflows that keep behavior and appearance aligned. The skill fits React, Storybook, and monorepo frontend workflows where consistency errors compound across squads. It addresses scale problems that single-page design skills like gradient or corporate cannot solve alone.

  • Design token architecture
  • Reusable component specs
  • Accessibility and states
  • Versioning and contribution rules
  • Cross-platform parity guidance

Design System Lead by the numbers

  • 239 all-time installs (skills.sh)
  • Ranked #894 of 1,880 Design & UI/UX skills by installs in the Skillselion catalog
  • Data as of Aug 5, 2026 (Skillselion catalog sync)
npx skills add https://github.com/borghei/claude-skills --skill design-system-lead

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Listed on Skillselion
Installs239
repo stars451
Last updatedJuly 21, 2026
Repositoryborghei/claude-skills

How do you build a design system for multiple products?

Define tokens, components, accessibility rules, and contribution guidelines so multiple product surfaces stay visually and behaviorally consistent at scale.

Who is it for?

Lead developers or design engineers scaling UI consistency across web, mobile, and extension surfaces in a monorepo.

Skip if: Single-page landing page theming or one-off campaign styling that does not need shared component governance.

When should I use this skill?

A developer asks to define design tokens, write component contribution guidelines, or enforce accessibility rules across product surfaces.

What you get

Design token schema, component specifications, accessibility rule set, and contribution guidelines document.

  • Design token schema
  • Contribution guidelines
  • Accessibility rule set

Files

SKILL.mdMarkdownGitHub ↗

Design System Lead

The agent operates as a senior design system lead, delivering scalable component libraries, token architectures, governance processes, and adoption strategies for cross-functional product teams.

Clarify First

Before generating the design system, confirm these inputs. If any is unknown or vague, ASK — do not assume:

  • [ ] Brand color and any existing tokens — the primitive values to build from (drives the three-tier token architecture)
  • [ ] Current maturity level — Emerging, Defined, Managed, or Optimized (decides whether you establish foundations or optimize governance)
  • [ ] Target platforms — web (CSS/SCSS), iOS, Android (drives token export formats and Style Dictionary config)

Stop rule: ask only the 2-3 that most change the output. If the user says "just draft it," proceed and list your assumptions at the top of the artifact.

Workflow

1. Assess maturity - Evaluate current design system maturity (Emerging, Defined, Managed, or Optimized). Audit existing patterns, inconsistencies, and custom components. Checkpoint: maturity level is documented with evidence. 2. Define token architecture - Build a three-tier token structure: primitive (raw values), semantic (purpose-based aliases), and component (scoped to specific UI elements). Checkpoint: every semantic token references a primitive; no hardcoded values remain. 3. Build component library - Design and implement components starting with primitives (Button, Input, Icon), then composites (Card, Modal, Dropdown), then patterns (Forms, Navigation, Tables). Checkpoint: each component has variants, sizes, states, props table, and accessibility requirements. 4. Document everything - Create usage guidelines, code examples, do/don't rules, and accessibility notes for every component. Checkpoint: documentation covers installation, basic usage, all variants, and at least one accessibility note. 5. Establish governance - Define the RFC-to-release contribution process. Set versioning strategy (SemVer). Checkpoint: contribution process is published and reviewed by both design and engineering leads. 6. Measure adoption - Track coverage (% of products using DS), consistency (token compliance rate), efficiency (time to build), and quality (a11y score, bug reports). Checkpoint: adoption dashboard is updated monthly.

Design System Maturity Model

LevelCharacteristicsFocus
1: EmergingAd-hoc styles, no standardsEstablish foundations
2: DefinedDocumented guidelinesComponent library
3: ManagedShared component libraryAdoption, governance
4: OptimizedAutomated, measuredContinuous improvement

Token Architecture

Three-tier token system (primitive -> semantic -> component):

{
  "color": {
    "primitive": {
      "blue": {
        "50": {"value": "#eff6ff"},
        "500": {"value": "#3b82f6"},
        "600": {"value": "#2563eb"},
        "900": {"value": "#1e3a8a"}
      }
    },
    "semantic": {
      "primary": {"value": "{color.primitive.blue.600}"},
      "primary-hover": {"value": "{color.primitive.blue.700}"},
      "background": {"value": "{color.primitive.gray.50}"},
      "text": {"value": "{color.primitive.gray.900}"}
    },
    "component": {
      "button-primary-bg": {"value": "{color.semantic.primary}"},
      "button-primary-text": {"value": "#ffffff"}
    }
  },
  "spacing": {
    "primitive": {"1": {"value": "4px"}, "2": {"value": "8px"}, "4": {"value": "16px"}, "8": {"value": "32px"}},
    "semantic": {"component-padding": {"value": "{spacing.primitive.4}"}, "section-gap": {"value": "{spacing.primitive.8}"}}
  },
  "typography": {
    "fontFamily": {"sans": {"value": "Inter, system-ui, sans-serif"}, "mono": {"value": "JetBrains Mono, monospace"}},
    "fontSize": {"sm": {"value": "14px"}, "base": {"value": "16px"}, "lg": {"value": "18px"}, "xl": {"value": "20px"}}
  }
}

Example: Cross-Platform Token Generation

// style-dictionary.config.js
module.exports = {
  source: ['tokens/**/*.json'],
  platforms: {
    css: {
      transformGroup: 'css',
      buildPath: 'dist/css/',
      files: [{ destination: 'variables.css', format: 'css/variables' }]
    },
    scss: {
      transformGroup: 'scss',
      buildPath: 'dist/scss/',
      files: [{ destination: '_variables.scss', format: 'scss/variables' }]
    },
    ios: {
      transformGroup: 'ios',
      buildPath: 'dist/ios/',
      files: [{ destination: 'StyleDictionaryColor.swift', format: 'ios-swift/class.swift' }]
    },
    android: {
      transformGroup: 'android',
      buildPath: 'dist/android/',
      files: [{ destination: 'colors.xml', format: 'android/colors' }]
    }
  }
};

Component Library Structure

design-system/
+-- foundations/     (colors, typography, spacing, elevation, motion, grid)
+-- components/
|   +-- primitives/  (Button, Input, Icon)
|   +-- composites/  (Card, Modal, Dropdown)
|   +-- patterns/    (Forms, Navigation, Tables)
+-- layouts/         (page templates, content layouts)
+-- documentation/   (getting-started, design guidelines, code guidelines)
+-- assets/          (icons, illustrations, logos)

Component Specification: Button

## Variants
- Primary: main action
- Secondary: supporting action
- Tertiary: low-emphasis action
- Destructive: dangerous/irreversible action

## Sizes
- Small: 32px height, 8px/12px padding
- Medium: 40px height (default), 10px/16px padding
- Large: 48px height, 12px/24px padding

## States
Default -> Hover -> Active -> Focus -> Disabled -> Loading

## Props
| Prop      | Type        | Default   | Description      |
|-----------|-------------|-----------|------------------|
| variant   | string      | 'primary' | Visual style     |
| size      | string      | 'medium'  | Button size      |
| disabled  | boolean     | false     | Disabled state   |
| loading   | boolean     | false     | Loading state    |
| leftIcon  | ReactNode   | -         | Leading icon     |
| onClick   | function    | -         | Click handler    |

## Accessibility
- Minimum touch target: 44x44px
- Visible focus ring on keyboard navigation
- aria-label required for icon-only buttons
- aria-busy="true" when loading

Example: Button Implementation (React + CVA)

import { cva, type VariantProps } from 'class-variance-authority';

const buttonVariants = cva(
  'inline-flex items-center justify-center rounded-md font-medium transition-colors focus-visible:outline-none focus-visible:ring-2 disabled:pointer-events-none disabled:opacity-50',
  {
    variants: {
      variant: {
        primary: 'bg-primary text-primary-foreground hover:bg-primary/90',
        secondary: 'bg-secondary text-secondary-foreground hover:bg-secondary/80',
        destructive: 'bg-destructive text-destructive-foreground hover:bg-destructive/90',
      },
      size: {
        sm: 'h-8 px-3 text-sm',
        md: 'h-10 px-4 text-sm',
        lg: 'h-12 px-6 text-base',
      },
    },
    defaultVariants: { variant: 'primary', size: 'md' },
  }
);

Governance: Contribution Process

1. REQUEST  - Create RFC describing problem and proposed component/change
2. REVIEW   - Design review + engineering review + accessibility review
3. BUILD    - Figma component + code implementation + unit tests + visual regression
4. DOCUMENT - API docs + usage guidelines + Storybook stories
5. RELEASE  - SemVer bump + changelog + announcement

Versioning Strategy

Change TypeVersion BumpExamples
BreakingMAJORComponent API change, token rename
New featureMINORNew component, new variant, new token
Bug fixPATCHStyle fix, docs update, perf improvement

Adoption Metrics Dashboard

Design System Health
  Adoption: 82% (12/15 products)
  Component Usage: 78% (45 components)
  Token Compliance: 95%
  Overrides: 23 (down from 38)

  Efficiency
  Avg time to build new feature: 3.2 days (was 5.1)
  Custom components created this quarter: 4 (was 12)

Scripts

# Token generator
python scripts/token_gen.py --source tokens.json --output dist/

# Component scaffolder
python scripts/component_scaffold.py --name DatePicker --category composite

# Adoption analyzer
python scripts/adoption_analyzer.py --repos repos.yaml

# Visual regression test
python scripts/visual_regression.py --baseline main --compare feature/new-button

Reference Materials

  • references/token_architecture.md - Token system design
  • references/component_patterns.md - Component best practices
  • references/governance.md - Contribution guidelines
  • references/figma_setup.md - Figma library management

---

Tool Reference

token_gen.py

Generates a three-tier design token system (primitive, semantic, component) from a brand color. Supports CSS, SCSS, and JSON output. Includes WCAG contrast ratio checking.

FlagTypeDefaultDescription
--color, -cstring#0066CCBrand color in hex
--format, -fchoicesummaryOutput format: json, css, scss, summary
--tiers, -tchoiceallToken tiers: all, primitive, semantic, component
--output, -ostring(stdout)Output directory for generated files
--jsonflagFalseShortcut for --format json
python scripts/token_gen.py --color "#0066CC"
python scripts/token_gen.py --color "#0066CC" --format css --output dist/
python scripts/token_gen.py --color "#8B4513" --tiers primitive --json

component_scaffold.py

Generates component documentation scaffolds with props tables, variants, states, accessibility requirements, anatomy, usage guidelines, and code examples.

FlagTypeDefaultDescription
--name, -nstring(required)Component name in PascalCase
--category, -cchoice(required)Category: primitive, composite, pattern
--variants, -vstring(category default)Comma-separated variant names
--sizes, -sstringsm,md,lgComma-separated size names
--jsonflagFalseOutput as JSON
python scripts/component_scaffold.py --name Button --category primitive
python scripts/component_scaffold.py --name DataTable --category pattern --variants "default,compact,striped"
python scripts/component_scaffold.py --name Modal --category composite --json

adoption_analyzer.py

Analyzes design system adoption across products by evaluating component coverage, token compliance, custom overrides, and accessibility scores. Produces a health dashboard with per-product and portfolio-level analysis.

FlagTypeDefaultDescription
inputpositional(required)CSV file with adoption data or "sample"
--threshold, -tint75Health score threshold for flagging
--jsonflagFalseOutput as JSON

CSV columns: product, total_components, ds_components, total_tokens, ds_tokens, custom_overrides, a11y_score, last_audit

python scripts/adoption_analyzer.py sample
python scripts/adoption_analyzer.py adoption_data.csv
python scripts/adoption_analyzer.py adoption_data.csv --threshold 80 --json

---

Troubleshooting

ProblemCauseSolution
Token overrides in productionTeams bypassing design systemRun adoption_analyzer monthly; add lint rules for hardcoded values
Inconsistent component behavior across productsVersion driftEnforce SemVer; automate DS dependency updates in CI
Low adoption in older productsMigration cost perceived as too highPrioritize high-traffic pages; create migration guides per product
Token naming conflictsNo naming convention enforcedAdopt CTI (Category-Type-Item) naming; document in governance
Component API breaking changesInsufficient versioning disciplineUse codemods for migration; deprecation period of 2 minor versions
Designers and developers out of syncFigma/code token driftUse Tokens Studio plugin; sync on every release
Contribution bottleneckRFC review queue backed upSet SLA for reviews (48h); rotate reviewers weekly

---

Success Criteria

CriterionTargetHow to Measure
Component coverage>80% across all productsadoption_analyzer component coverage metric
Token compliance>90% (no hardcoded values)adoption_analyzer token compliance metric
Custom overridesTrending downward quarter-over-quarterTrack total overrides in adoption report
Time to build new feature30%+ reduction vs pre-DS baselineCompare sprint velocity before/after DS adoption
Accessibility score>85% across all productsadoption_analyzer a11y score
Contribution rate2+ external contributions per quarterTrack merged RFCs from non-core-team members
Design-dev handoff time<1 day for standard componentsMeasure time from design approval to code PR

---

Scope & Limitations

In scope:

  • Three-tier token architecture design and generation
  • Component library structure and documentation scaffolding
  • Adoption tracking and health reporting
  • Cross-platform token export (CSS, SCSS, JSON)
  • Governance process definition
  • WCAG contrast ratio validation

Out of scope:

  • Visual regression testing execution (use Chromatic, Percy, or BackstopJS)
  • Figma plugin development (use Tokens Studio for token sync)
  • Runtime theme switching implementation (framework-specific)
  • Icon library creation and SVG optimization
  • Motion design and animation library
  • Component implementation code (scaffold generates docs, not runtime code)

---

Integration Points

Tool / PlatformIntegration MethodUse Case
Figma / Tokens StudioImport token_gen JSON outputSync design tokens between design and code
Style DictionaryUse token_gen JSON as sourceBuild multi-platform tokens (iOS, Android, web)
Storybookcomponent_scaffold output as stories templateAuto-generate component documentation
Chromatic / PercyPair with component_scaffold test checklistVisual regression testing pipeline
CI/CDadoption_analyzer --json in pipelineAutomated adoption health checks on PRs
Tailwind / CSS-in-JStoken_gen CSS/JSON exportTheme configuration from design tokens

Related skills

How it compares

Pick design-system-lead for multi-surface governance and token architecture; pick corporate or gradient for single-product visual theming.

FAQ

What does design-system-lead deliver?

Design-system-lead delivers design token schemas, component specifications, accessibility rules, and contribution guidelines. Developers use the output to keep multiple product surfaces visually and behaviorally consistent as frontend teams scale.

When should teams use design-system-lead?

Teams should use design-system-lead when product surfaces drift without shared standards across web, mobile, or extension UIs. The skill addresses token architecture and governance problems that single-page styling skills cannot solve.

Design & UI/UXuiuxbranding

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