Donnie D'Amato

@donnie.damato.design

Design Systems Architect in New York. Author of Mise en Mode. International speaker. Lives in ds.house.

2308 followers164 following146 stories

Longform Stories

Lawful Design

The least fun but most required part of our work.

Jun 9·13 min read·2404 words

Lawful Design

The least fun but most required part of our work.

Jun 9·13 min read·2404 words

Conway's Law

Reflecting our culture through a transparent lens.

Jun 1·8 min read·1465 words

Conway's Law

Reflecting our culture through a transparent lens.

Jun 1·8 min read·1465 words

Eigengrau

Close your eyes, what do you see?

May 20·4 min read·748 words

Eigengrau

Close your eyes, what do you see?

May 20·4 min read·748 words

Tiny toggle

Switching between light and dark as lazily as possible.

May 5·5 min read·926 words

Tiny toggle

Switching between light and dark as lazily as possible.

May 5·5 min read·926 words

The Daily Vibe

No, you didn't vibe design/code a system in a few hours

Apr 10·9 min read·1632 words

The Daily Vibe

No, you didn't vibe design/code a system in a few hours

Apr 10·9 min read·1632 words

Pretext review

Another distraction from improving user experience

Mar 30·9 min read·1677 words

Pretext review

Another distraction from improving user experience

Mar 30·9 min read·1677 words

Book Authoring Backstage

Some behind the scenes notes about book writing.

Mar 25·10 min read·1986 words

Book Authoring Backstage

Some behind the scenes notes about book writing.

Mar 25·10 min read·1986 words

Thinking Full Stack

Delegate design decisions to the people who own them

Mar 16·10 min read·1814 words

Thinking Full Stack

Delegate design decisions to the people who own them

Mar 16·10 min read·1814 words

Avoiding z-index

My thing is more important than your thing

Mar 13·7 min read·1298 words

Avoiding z-index

My thing is more important than your thing

Mar 13·7 min read·1298 words

People's Primitives

You crave them but you don't need them

Mar 3·7 min read·1372 words

People's Primitives

You crave them but you don't need them

Mar 3·7 min read·1372 words

Chip Away

Chip, badge, pill, tag, lozenge, how about none?

Feb 23·12 min read·2207 words

Chip Away

Chip, badge, pill, tag, lozenge, how about none?

Feb 23·12 min read·2207 words

Fit Text Responsibly

Be careful of the shiny new things.

Dec 5·4 min read·712 words

Fit Text Responsibly

Be careful of the shiny new things.

Dec 5·4 min read·712 words

Minefield Context Protocol

Being ahead of the curve can make you a pawn on the field.

Nov 26·8 min read·1485 words

Minefield Context Protocol

Being ahead of the curve can make you a pawn on the field.

Nov 26·8 min read·1485 words

Complementary Space

Design spacing tokens semantically.

Nov 16·10 min read·1977 words

Complementary Space

Design spacing tokens semantically.

Nov 16·10 min read·1977 words

Fluid Headings

Uniformly reducing headings for smaller screens.

Oct 10·6 min read·1121 words

Fluid Headings

Uniformly reducing headings for smaller screens.

Oct 10·6 min read·1121 words

Storefront & Warehouse

How may I help you today?

Oct 2·8 min read·1572 words

Storefront & Warehouse

How may I help you today?

Oct 2·8 min read·1572 words

Design Attractors

Chaos theory meets design systems.

Sep 26·6 min read·1038 words

Design Attractors

Chaos theory meets design systems.

Sep 26·6 min read·1038 words

Late start

Begin counting on your terms.

Sep 11·5 min read·891 words

Late start

Begin counting on your terms.

Sep 11·5 min read·891 words

My Top 4

If I could only use 4 CSS properties, what would they be?

Aug 15·3 min read·457 words

My Top 4

If I could only use 4 CSS properties, what would they be?

Aug 15·3 min read·457 words

Antidatalossconfigurationism

Wrangling text and the CSS behind it all.

Jul 8·8 min read·1519 words

Antidatalossconfigurationism

Wrangling text and the CSS behind it all.

Jul 8·8 min read·1519 words

Font size dimensions

Pixels or font size for dimensions, and when.

Jun 20·7 min read·1204 words

Font size dimensions

Pixels or font size for dimensions, and when.

Jun 20·7 min read·1204 words

Accent Color

Personalization causes privacy concerns amongst engineers.

Jun 10·6 min read·1156 words

Accent Color

Personalization causes privacy concerns amongst engineers.

Jun 10·6 min read·1156 words

CSS Only Contrast

We've always wanted it, now it looks like we can have it.

Jun 4·4 min read·667 words

CSS Only Contrast

We've always wanted it, now it looks like we can have it.

Jun 4·4 min read·667 words

Beer goggles

You too could be a bored intern and influence a generation of design

May 19·6 min read·1143 words

Beer goggles

You too could be a bored intern and influence a generation of design

May 19·6 min read·1143 words

Done with components

Component libraries aren't design systems until people start caring.

Apr 30·5 min read·810 words

Done with components

Component libraries aren't design systems until people start caring.

Apr 30·5 min read·810 words

Out of order

CSS does a lot these days, and I argue that it does too much.

Apr 16·7 min read·1352 words

Out of order

CSS does a lot these days, and I argue that it does too much.

Apr 16·7 min read·1352 words

Less Gridless

Maybe the industry has finally figured it out.

Apr 9·3 min read·530 words

Less Gridless

Maybe the industry has finally figured it out.

Apr 9·3 min read·530 words

Logical Optical

You don't have to nudge, you can measure instead.

Mar 27·11 min read·2096 words

Logical Optical

You don't have to nudge, you can measure instead.

Mar 27·11 min read·2096 words

Defending Tailwind

I don't like it, but I get it.

Mar 6·7 min read·1284 words

Defending Tailwind

I don't like it, but I get it.

Mar 6·7 min read·1284 words

Avoiding tokens

The importance of disclosing the reasons behind decisions.

Feb 24·8 min read·1553 words

Avoiding tokens

The importance of disclosing the reasons behind decisions.

Feb 24·8 min read·1553 words

Relearning line height

Changing what I thought I knew about typesetting.

Feb 13·8 min read·1500 words

Relearning line height

Changing what I thought I knew about typesetting.

Feb 13·8 min read·1500 words

Mixinimation

An absolute mad-scientist method for reusing a collection of styles.

Jan 30·4 min read·653 words

Mixinimation

An absolute mad-scientist method for reusing a collection of styles.

Jan 30·4 min read·653 words

Interoperable tokens

Exploring a way to make token importing similar in different contexts.

Jan 16·3 min read·534 words

Interoperable tokens

Exploring a way to make token importing similar in different contexts.

Jan 16·3 min read·534 words

Your first component

The reason why it is almost always a button

Jan 10·5 min read·938 words

Your first component

The reason why it is almost always a button

Jan 10·5 min read·938 words

Two Typographic Tricks

Modern CSS unlocks some wishful visual treatments.

Dec 19·8 min read·1588 words

Two Typographic Tricks

Modern CSS unlocks some wishful visual treatments.

Dec 19·8 min read·1588 words

Clickable cards

Everyone does it, and we often do it poorly.

Nov 8·5 min read·841 words

Clickable cards

Everyone does it, and we often do it poorly.

Nov 8·5 min read·841 words

Storybook iframe tango

Yo dawg, I heard you like iframes. Said no one, ever.

Nov 1·4 min read·730 words

Storybook iframe tango

Yo dawg, I heard you like iframes. Said no one, ever.

Nov 1·4 min read·730 words

Clarity 2024, Backstage

Behind the scenes in the making of Clarity 2024

Sep 27·11 min read·2169 words

Clarity 2024, Backstage

Behind the scenes in the making of Clarity 2024

Sep 27·11 min read·2169 words

The Hottest Box

Considerations to take when making a layout component.

Sep 16·13 min read·2483 words

The Hottest Box

Considerations to take when making a layout component.

Sep 16·13 min read·2483 words

Astro RSS MDX

Showing more love for Astro, now that we can finally render MDX in RSS content.

Aug 18·6 min read·1020 words

Astro RSS MDX

Showing more love for Astro, now that we can finally render MDX in RSS content.

Aug 18·6 min read·1020 words

Testing is hard

A case of libraries getting in the way, and how to find peace with it.

Jul 19·7 min read·1202 words

Testing is hard

A case of libraries getting in the way, and how to find peace with it.

Jul 19·7 min read·1202 words

Button width styles

Does each style of a button need a blog post?

Jul 5·6 min read·1184 words

Button width styles

Does each style of a button need a blog post?

Jul 5·6 min read·1184 words

On being extra

Your T-shirt scale isn't scalable

May 29·4 min read·663 words

On being extra

Your T-shirt scale isn't scalable

May 29·4 min read·663 words

Screenreader only

Is this the exception to component-driven development?

Apr 27·6 min read·1031 words

Screenreader only

Is this the exception to component-driven development?

Apr 27·6 min read·1031 words

Unicorns on the web

Design Engineering is becoming very popular, according to domain registrars.

Apr 19·2 min read·390 words

Unicorns on the web

Design Engineering is becoming very popular, according to domain registrars.

Apr 19·2 min read·390 words

Button size styles

There are lots of ways to size a button, but is there a correct way?

Apr 10·7 min read·1273 words

Button size styles

There are lots of ways to size a button, but is there a correct way?

Apr 10·7 min read·1273 words

Wireframe, Backstage

Behind the scenes in the making of wireframe.fm

Mar 26·8 min read·1565 words

Wireframe, Backstage

Behind the scenes in the making of wireframe.fm

Mar 26·8 min read·1565 words

The end

If you take user experience seriously, this should inspire you. If you don't, this should scare you.

Jan 10·7 min read·1205 words

The end

If you take user experience seriously, this should inspire you. If you don't, this should scare you.

Jan 10·7 min read·1205 words

Title goes here

A quick exploration of naming typography components

Dec 20·8 min read·1439 words

Title goes here

A quick exploration of naming typography components

Dec 20·8 min read·1439 words

Truly Semantic

Let us not throw this term around and pin down what it means precisely.

Nov 7·7 min read·1392 words

Truly Semantic

Let us not throw this term around and pin down what it means precisely.

Nov 7·7 min read·1392 words

DS Events, Backstage

Behind the scenes in the making of ds.events

Sep 19·15 min read·2878 words

DS Events, Backstage

Behind the scenes in the making of ds.events

Sep 19·15 min read·2878 words

Hovercraft

Barely noticeable design fun causes token explosions.

Aug 24·7 min read·1258 words

Hovercraft

Barely noticeable design fun causes token explosions.

Aug 24·7 min read·1258 words

Thanking you

My journey in contributing with the community.

Aug 2·6 min read·1121 words

Thanking you

My journey in contributing with the community.

Aug 2·6 min read·1121 words

Spicy specifications

Making sense of several solutions for design decisions aimed to help our community.

Jun 23·7 min read·1309 words

Spicy specifications

Making sense of several solutions for design decisions aimed to help our community.

Jun 23·7 min read·1309 words

Token operations

Defining transforms into a specification.

May 31·5 min read·874 words

Token operations

Defining transforms into a specification.

May 31·5 min read·874 words

Dynamic Astro Collections

Using framework magic in the pursuit of laziness.

Apr 10·6 min read·1026 words

Dynamic Astro Collections

Using framework magic in the pursuit of laziness.

Apr 10·6 min read·1026 words

Low inspectations

You should be better than the inspect panel.

Mar 1·6 min read·1002 words

Low inspectations

You should be better than the inspect panel.

Mar 1·6 min read·1002 words

Meaningless curves ahead

Semantic nested rounding is systematically inconceivable.

Feb 7·8 min read·1410 words

Meaningless curves ahead

Semantic nested rounding is systematically inconceivable.

Feb 7·8 min read·1410 words

62.5%

Humans don't like math so we use math to make the math easier, but at what cost?

Jan 30·7 min read·1259 words

62.5%

Humans don't like math so we use math to make the math easier, but at what cost?

Jan 30·7 min read·1259 words

Classname soup

The problem with a superfluous utility class approach and why I choose a different path.

Jan 17·5 min read·979 words

Classname soup

The problem with a superfluous utility class approach and why I choose a different path.

Jan 17·5 min read·979 words

Ondark virus

While it might seem intuitive at first, naming your tokens this way is bad for your health.

Jan 12·9 min read·1622 words

Ondark virus

While it might seem intuitive at first, naming your tokens this way is bad for your health.

Jan 12·9 min read·1622 words

Close thy enemy

A recent bug turns into a realization that most close buttons across the web are engineered poorly.

Jan 9·5 min read·874 words

Close thy enemy

A recent bug turns into a realization that most close buttons across the web are engineered poorly.

Jan 9·5 min read·874 words

UX Engineer, a terminal career

A role that is near and dear to my heart and why I can't call myself one.

Dec 26·9 min read·1726 words

UX Engineer, a terminal career

A role that is near and dear to my heart and why I can't call myself one.

Dec 26·9 min read·1726 words

Big four oh

Taking a moment to reflect and excited to launch the new site design.

Dec 13·5 min read·931 words

Big four oh

Taking a moment to reflect and excited to launch the new site design.

Dec 13·5 min read·931 words

Choose wisely

The act of making a selection is a critical part of user experience as it creates a path which we hope lands at a goal.

Aug 15·11 min read·2197 words

Choose wisely

The act of making a selection is a critical part of user experience as it creates a path which we hope lands at a goal.

Aug 15·11 min read·2197 words

Colors don't solve problems

Color is one of the least important facets of user interface design.

Jul 11·9 min read·1659 words

Colors don't solve problems

Color is one of the least important facets of user interface design.

Jul 11·9 min read·1659 words

Feeding trolls

They say that you aren't successful until people begin to criticize your work.

Jun 28·7 min read·1240 words

Feeding trolls

They say that you aren't successful until people begin to criticize your work.

Jun 28·7 min read·1240 words

Dynamic Storybook

A Storybook approach to visualize all my components' configurations and why its not recommended in Storybook today.

Jun 14·6 min read·1122 words

Dynamic Storybook

A Storybook approach to visualize all my components' configurations and why its not recommended in Storybook today.

Jun 14·6 min read·1122 words

No more modals

Please just make a new page.

Jun 5·7 min read·1386 words

No more modals

Please just make a new page.

Jun 5·7 min read·1386 words

Against atomic design

There's something about it that is more harmful than helpful.

May 25·3 min read·542 words

Against atomic design

There's something about it that is more harmful than helpful.

May 25·3 min read·542 words

Tokens as intents

Naming your parts with purpose.

May 12·10 min read·1987 words

Tokens as intents

Naming your parts with purpose.

May 12·10 min read·1987 words

Spacing solved

Shifting traditional approaches to something more semantic.

May 9·8 min read·1503 words

Spacing solved

Shifting traditional approaches to something more semantic.

May 9·8 min read·1503 words

Fetching web component definitions

Passively requesting code once an element is discovered on a page.

Apr 12·6 min read·1029 words

Fetching web component definitions

Passively requesting code once an element is discovered on a page.

Apr 12·6 min read·1029 words