About
Chris Griffin is a designer, developer, and tinkerer in Los Angeles who found his way into design systems.
About Me
I started out building websites with a pirated version of Photoshop, writing mangled HTML & CSS in Notepad on my Windows 98 PC, and uploading my wonderful creations to GeoCities. When this website stuff turned into a paying job, the web standards movement was picking up steam, and I became fascinated with building websites using semantic HTML and CSS. Having operated as a product designer and front-end engineer for SaaS products for some time, I have found my niche in the design systems space.
As a self-learner and tech DIY-er, I have added to my arsenal of knowledge across several disciplines over the years, working with small to large startups. For a recent list of my experience, please check out my résumé.
Process
Most of the work happens between the design file and the codebase.
- + AUDIT
Measure first
I score what exists before I propose anything new.
- + TOKENS
Tokens as an API
Three tiers. Aliases only ever point down.
- + PARITY
One vocabulary
Figma and code share the same names and scales.
- + CONTRACTS
Declared, not implied
Every prop is written down, so drift shows up in a report.
- + OWNERSHIP
Someone owns it
An owner and a clear intake keep it from sprawling.
- + AI
AI with a merge gate
Agents draft the fixes. I review and merge them.
Colophon
Designed in Figma and built with Next.js and React, largely with Claude Code. Netlify does the hosting. Overkill for a personal site? Almost certainly, but a personal site is the best place to experiment.