Design Systems that Differentiate
Design Systems that Differentiate
Design Systems that Differentiate
Your design system should embody what makes your product unique. I help teams create scalable systems that balance cohesion, flexibility, and brand expression.
About me
About me
About me
Design systems leader, author, and advocate for design excellence at scale
Design systems leader, author, and advocate for design excellence at scale
Design systems leader, author, and advocate for design excellence at scale
I’ve spent the past decade leading large-scale design systems. Most recently, I led Polaris, Shopify’s design system used by thousands of designers and developers building for millions of merchants. Along the way, I’ve seen how quickly systems can slip into uniformity, and how much stronger they become when they reflect brand character and creative intent. My focus is on building systems that scale clarity, cohesion, and differentiation.
I’m also the author of Expressive Design Systems, where I explore how structure and imagination can coexist in product design. I approach every engagement with the discipline of a systems architect and the sensibility of a creative director.
Work with me
Your design system should enable expression, not sameness.
I help teams mature their design systems into intentional, future-ready foundations that strengthen product identity and differentiation.
Design systems consulting
I help teams evaluate and evolve their design systems—from identifying architectural and governance gaps to redesigning the foundations for long-term scalability. The result is a cohesive, future-ready system that unifies teams and amplifies your product’s unique identity.
Fractional leadership
As a fractional design systems leader, I embed within your organization to guide roadmap decisions, mentor teams, and shape governance structures. This engagement provides seasoned leadership and continuity, ensuring your system matures in alignment with long-term product and brand goals.
Expressive systems training
A concentrated 1–2 day workshop that helps teams see design systems as enablers of creativity, not constraints. Through discussion and hands-on examples, I teach how to build expressive, differentiated systems that balance consistency with character—and bring brand identity to life in every interaction.
Work with me
Your design system should enable expression, not sameness.
I help teams mature their design systems into intentional, future-ready foundations that strengthen product identity and differentiation.
Design systems consulting
I help teams evaluate and evolve their design systems—from identifying architectural and governance gaps to redesigning the foundations for long-term scalability. The result is a cohesive, future-ready system that unifies teams and amplifies your product’s unique identity.
Fractional leadership
As a fractional design systems leader, I embed within your organization to guide roadmap decisions, mentor teams, and shape governance structures. This engagement provides seasoned leadership and continuity, ensuring your system matures in alignment with long-term product and brand goals.
Expressive systems training
A concentrated 1–2 day workshop that helps teams see design systems as enablers of creativity, not constraints. Through discussion and hands-on examples, I teach how to build expressive, differentiated systems that balance consistency with character—and bring brand identity to life in every interaction.
Work with me
Your design system should enable expression, not sameness.
I help teams mature their design systems into intentional, future-ready foundations that strengthen product identity and differentiation.
Design systems consulting
I help teams evaluate and evolve their design systems—from identifying architectural and governance gaps to redesigning the foundations for long-term scalability. The result is a cohesive, future-ready system that unifies teams and amplifies your product’s unique identity.
Fractional leadership
As a fractional design systems leader, I embed within your organization to guide roadmap decisions, mentor teams, and shape governance structures. This engagement provides seasoned leadership and continuity, ensuring your system matures in alignment with long-term product and brand goals.
Expressive systems training
A concentrated 1–2 day workshop that helps teams see design systems as enablers of creativity, not constraints. Through discussion and hands-on examples, I teach how to build expressive, differentiated systems that balance consistency with character—and bring brand identity to life in every interaction.
Experience
Experience
Experience
Purpose-built systems
at scale
Shopify Polaris Design System
I led Shopify's Polaris Design System for 5 years, growing adoption to 89%, orchestrating two major design language transformations and enabling design excellence at scale.
Role
Design Director
Dates
2019-2024
Shopify Polaris Design System
I led Shopify's Polaris Design System for 5 years, growing adoption to 89%, orchestrating two major design language transformations and enabling design excellence at scale.
Role
Design Director
Dates
2019-2024
Shopify Polaris Design System
I led Shopify's Polaris Design System for 5 years, growing adoption to 89%, orchestrating two major design language transformations and enabling design excellence at scale.
Role
Design Director
Dates
2019-2024
Vox Media
At Vox Media, I led design for the Unison Project—a multi-year initiative to unify eight editorial brands under one shared design system and codebase while preserving each brand’s distinct identity.
Role
Design Director
Dates
2015-2019
Vox Media
At Vox Media, I led design for the Unison Project—a multi-year initiative to unify eight editorial brands under one shared design system and codebase while preserving each brand’s distinct identity.
Role
Design Director
Dates
2015-2019
Vox Media
At Vox Media, I led design for the Unison Project—a multi-year initiative to unify eight editorial brands under one shared design system and codebase while preserving each brand’s distinct identity.
Role
Design Director
Dates
2015-2019
Testimonials
Testimonials
Testimonials
"Yesenia is a proven leader building, refactoring and evolving massive industry leading design systems. Working with Yesenia for over five years her leadership and design system expertise have been invaluable. She is focused on critical details always levelling up the design at scale. She does this thoughtfully working collaboratively with leaders, engineers, product and marketing to bring together complex design visions."
Alex Page
Engineering Lead for Shopify Polaris
"Yesenia is a proven leader building, refactoring and evolving massive industry leading design systems. Working with Yesenia for over five years her leadership and design system expertise have been invaluable. She is focused on critical details always levelling up the design at scale. She does this thoughtfully working collaboratively with leaders, engineers, product and marketing to bring together complex design visions."
Alex Page
Engineering Lead for Shopify Polaris
"Working with Yesenia fundamentally changed how I think about design systems. She shifted us from shipping faster to shipping with quality at speed and scale. If you're looking to build design systems that scale institutional capacity and deliver products your users will rave about, Yesenia is truly exceptional."
Hayley Hughes
Design Director at HubSpot
"Working with Yesenia fundamentally changed how I think about design systems. She shifted us from shipping faster to shipping with quality at speed and scale. If you're looking to build design systems that scale institutional capacity and deliver products your users will rave about, Yesenia is truly exceptional."
Hayley Hughes
Design Director at HubSpot
"I’m grateful I’ve had the chance to work at several companies where Yesenia led the design systems efforts. Her expertise in building purpose-driven systems that solved unique company problems—whether that was multi brand, multi channel, or multi system—scaled creativity for those design teams and delivered enormous customer impact."
Katie Kovalcin
Principal Designer at Gusto
"I’m grateful I’ve had the chance to work at several companies where Yesenia led the design systems efforts. Her expertise in building purpose-driven systems that solved unique company problems—whether that was multi brand, multi channel, or multi system—scaled creativity for those design teams and delivered enormous customer impact."
Katie Kovalcin
Principal Designer at Gusto
"Yesenia is a proven leader building, refactoring and evolving massive industry leading design systems. Working with Yesenia for over five years her leadership and design system expertise have been invaluable. She is focused on critical details always levelling up the design at scale. She does this thoughtfully working collaboratively with leaders, engineers, product and marketing to bring together complex design visions."
Alex Page
Engineering Lead for Shopify Polaris
"Working with Yesenia fundamentally changed how I think about design systems. She shifted us from shipping faster to shipping with quality at speed and scale. If you're looking to build design systems that scale institutional capacity and deliver products your users will rave about, Yesenia is truly exceptional."
Hayley Hughes
Design Director at HubSpot
"I’m grateful I’ve had the chance to work at several companies where Yesenia led the design systems efforts. Her expertise in building purpose-driven systems that solved unique company problems—whether that was multi brand, multi channel, or multi system—scaled creativity for those design teams and delivered enormous customer impact."
Katie Kovalcin
Principal Designer at Gusto
Writing
Writing
Writing
Beyond Consistency: Essays on Differentiation
Beyond Consistency