Cory Etzkorn argues that companies don’t necessarily need a full-fledged design system to build a great product. Using Notion as an example, they show that a consistent and intuitive design can be achieved without a formal design system.

Cory cautions against creating a design system because it’s trendy and without a clear problem. They suggest some valid reasons for a design system, such as visual inconsistency or a lack of shared language between design and engineering teams.

However, Cory notes that many companies already have a “design system” in the form of their codebase and component library. The key is for designers to collaborate closely with engineers to understand and improve this existing system.