Configure12–20 weeks, then a maintenance retainer
Design System Build
For an organisation buying the same design repeatedly, because a system converts design from a service you rent into an asset you own.
- “We have designers in every department and no standards.”
- “We keep hiring agencies and getting different results.”
- “We must comply with the national design system and cannot demonstrate it.”
What you get
- 01DTCG-compliant token architecture across primitive, semantic and component layers
- 02Multi-theme and dark mode structure
- 03Component library in the design tool, with variants and states
- 04Coded component library with verified design parity
- 05Accessibility conformance documentation per component
- 06Living documentation site with a contribution guide
- 07Migration and adoption plan with a deprecation schedule
- 08Governance model, release cadence and health metrics
Not included
- Migrating your existing products onto the system
- Application feature development
- Ongoing component expansion without the retainer
- Design tool licences
What you bring
- A named internal system owner who will still be there in a year
- Engineering capacity to consume the system as it ships
- Agreement that the retainer is part of the plan, not an upsell
What should change
Teams stop rebuilding the same thing
Measured by
Component reuse rate
Design QA stops being the bottleneck
Measured by
Time from design to merged
How it works
- 1
Configure it
Set it up here and add it to your plan.
- 2
Written scope
Within 48 hours: tasks, milestones, named roles and a delivery date.
- 3
Approve, then start
You approve the scope and price before anything is charged.
- Who’s on it
- Design Systems Designer (lead), UI Designer, front-end engineer, accessibility reviewer, UX Writer · Experience squad
Your first 14 days
- Days 1–2Kickoff: objectives, success criteria, decision-maker map, escalation pathKickoff document, signed
- Days 3–5Access: data, analytics, systems, stakeholders, existing researchAccess log with owners and dates
- Days 5–7Working agreement: cadence, review protocol, approval authority, response times both waysWorking agreement
- Days 7–10Immersion: context absorption, constraint capture, assumption registerAssumption register
- Days 10–14First checkpoint: early observations, confirmed scope boundary, risks raisedCheckpoint note, acknowledged in writing
Is the price final?
Not yet. Our prices are indicative while we finalise them. You get the confirmed price in writing before you pay anything.
When do we pay?
Your written scope states the price and the deposit. Nothing is charged until you approve it.
After this
A permanent maintenance retainer. A governed system requires a permanent owner.