# Design & Branding

> Product design, UI/UX, enterprise design systems, Figma-to-code pipelines, Storybook libraries and branding that ships as code.

Source: https://lastdoorsolutions.com/services/design

## The Handoff Problem

A designer creates a mockup. A developer interprets the mockup. The result does not match. Revisions go back and forth. Weeks are lost.

We shorten this loop by building design systems that are the code. Design tokens defined in Figma export into CSS custom properties and Tailwind configurations. Components built in Figma have matching implementations in Storybook. When a designer updates a color value or spacing token, that change propagates through the token pipeline to the codebase.

We sit on both sides of the design-engineering boundary. That is why the gap closes.

## Enterprise Design Systems

Our deepest design system work is at enterprise scale: multi-year platforms, custom theme tokens mapped to the client's brand, component composition patterns documented in Storybook, and accessibility tested on every deployment. That includes IBM Carbon implementations. Data table configurations for complex datasets with sorting, filtering, pagination, and inline editing. Form patterns for multi-step workflows with validation, conditional fields, and progress tracking.

Automated accessibility tests run against WCAG 2.1 AA on every deployment.

## Product Design and UI/UX

Before the design system exists, someone has to figure out what to build. Our product design process starts with the problem. User flows, information architecture, and interaction patterns come before visual design. We prototype in Figma, test with stakeholders, and iterate before writing production code.

For consumer-facing products, we build interactive prototypes that simulate the real experience. Transitions, micro-interactions, responsive behavior. Stakeholders evaluate the product before engineering begins. For enterprise products, we focus on workflow efficiency, data density, and reducing the number of clicks to complete a task.

## Branding and Visual Identity

We create visual identities that translate into digital products. Brand guidelines, typography systems, color palettes, and icon sets are delivered as design tokens that feed into the codebase. OKLCH color scales, where equal steps look equal. Variable fonts for precise typographic control. Icon libraries as SVG sprite systems.

The brand lives in the design system, enforced by code. Change a token and every screen that uses it changes.

## What We Deliver

- **Product design:** User research, information architecture, user flows, wireframes, high-fidelity mockups
- **UI/UX design:** Interface design, interaction patterns, responsive design, accessibility-first layouts
- **Design systems:** Token-based systems with Figma source, code implementation, and documentation
- **IBM Carbon implementation:** Custom theme tokens, component composition, data patterns, form patterns
- **Figma-to-code pipelines:** Design token export from Figma to CSS custom properties and Tailwind
- **Storybook component libraries:** Interactive component documentation with visual testing
- **Interactive prototyping:** High-fidelity prototypes with transitions, micro-interactions, and responsive behavior
- **Branding:** Visual identity, typography systems, color palettes, icon sets, brand guidelines
- **Design tokens:** OKLCH color systems, spacing scales, typography tokens, exported as code
- **Visual regression testing:** Playwright-based automated screenshot comparison for design consistency

## Tech Stack

- **Figma:** Design source of truth, prototyping, component libraries
- **Storybook:** Component documentation, visual testing, interactive development
- **IBM Carbon Design System:** Enterprise component framework
- **OKLCH color systems:** Perceptually uniform color scales for design tokens
- **Design tokens:** JSON/CSS custom properties pipeline from Figma to code
- **Tailwind CSS:** Utility-first CSS with design token integration
- **CSS custom properties:** Runtime theming and token application
- **Playwright:** Visual regression testing for design consistency
- **React:** Component implementation for design system code

## Who This Is For

- **Product companies** that need a design system developers can reference directly, one that keeps every screen consistent.
- **Enterprise organizations** implementing or maintaining a design system like IBM Carbon or Material Design.
- **Teams where design and engineering are misaligned** and the handoff process is burning time. Figma-to-code token pipelines and Storybook close the gap.
- **Companies launching new products** that need branding, product design, and a design system built together from the start.

## Proof

- Enterprise design system on a multi-year platform: custom theme tokens, component composition, data tables, multi-step forms.
- Figma-to-code token pipelines in production. Design changes propagate to code without manual translation.
- Storybook component libraries with visual regression testing, documented and maintained as living code.
- Brand color scales built in OKLCH, a color space where equal steps look equal.