This is an analytical, yet honest investigation of design systems. The more I study its anatomy, the more I realize how ironic a framework that unifies design standards doesn’t have a singular source of truth for its own composition. And I think that’s a beautiful problem. It provides a level of certainty with a hint of mystery that requires us to communicate with each other (as you’ve noted in the last paragraph) vs. simply picking up a rule book. Great story, Max!

Nathan Curtis with Eight Shapes also has some great articles on Design Systems.