Motorola Design System
Evolving our design language
Roles:
Design Lead / Production Coordinator
Year:
2017 - 2018
Motorola has always been a brand that has been expressive, and our experiences are no different. Unfortunately, we lacked a cohesive style and our global teams were designing based on regional preferences or market demands.
Over six months we developed and implemented the new system across all apps, providing a more consistent smartphone experience that aligns closely with Material Design, yet is distinctively Motorola.
Team Audit
I organized and facilitated the weeklong workshop to bring our global design team together from China, Brazil and the US. We audited our existing experiences, identified trends, determined areas to refresh, and discussed our principles as a design team.
Color Palette
To have a more visually refined and ownable experience, we developed a unique color palette that played alongside Material Design’s tonal system.
UI Components
To get all of our individual apps onto the new design system, we built out a foundational set of design components and screen layouts to ensure consistent usage. Teams would report back any changes and updates as each product transitioned to the new library.
Iconography
By integrating the new color palette into our experiences, our app icons needed a refresh as well. The end result is a more refined, distinctive style than its predecessors.
Illustration System
Without an in-house illustrator to handle the needs of all experiences, we created a series of common visuals to establish a more consistent style and level of quality. By having this foundation, designers and non-designers alike were able to contribute to the system.
Design Principles
Redefining and sharing our design system principles with product management and engineering was key to broader team alignment. By having a consistent rallying cry across products allowed for more focused innovation and reduced production time.