[kaelig]

It also helps small teams build faster. A shared language around color, spacing, typography makes design/engineering collaboration way smoother, and reduces rework.

A good first step is to have your color palette in your design tool of choice consistent with the variable names used in CSS.

> But I suspect it also can stiffle innovation.

Like any system: it can both be empowering or the opposite.

It's a tough balancing act. Let's say you're Adobe, and you want Photoshop/Illustrator/InDesign to feel like a single family of products across web/iOS/iPadOS/Windows: where do you want to let feature teams innovate, and where must they adhere to the system so users can navigate seamlessly across these products and platforms?

[whoisstan]

Its like parenting, be loose and strict in the same way. You have to find a good balance given the team composition and corporate restrictions.