Teaching AI to Speak Your Design System's Language with Reony Tonneyck

“With design systems, it’s not just about the tools or what you provide and how others use them. There’s also a significant cultural aspect to consider.” In this episode, we dive into the practical realities of building and maintaining a design system in a fast-moving startup environment with Reony Tonneyck, Senior Product Designer at Command Zero. Reony shares his journey from animation to web design and how his early exposure to Figma, open source frameworks, and design systems shaped his approach. He explores the challenges of working with inherited frameworks versus building custom components, and how proper documentation, token management, and parity between design and code are essential for scalable systems. The conversation also highlights the impact of AI on design workflows, from using Claude and Raycast to automate tasks and generate assets, to integrating AI with Notion for automated release notes. Reony discusses the balance of adopting new tools while ensuring consistency and accuracy across both design and engineering teams. Tune in to learn: How to effectively build on open source frameworks while maintaining custom components The role of AI in automating repetitive tasks and improving efficiency Strategies for maintaining design system parity, documentation, and scalable workflows Jump into the conversation: (00:00) Intro (05:02) Career shift into design systems (09:07) Small team decentralized system model (12:52) Working with Angular framework parity (16:27) Transition from Token Studio variables (19:14) Open source framework benefits and risks (23:44) Patterns library and slot issues (27:56) Custom components versus inherited framework (33:02) AI integration in design workflow (38:31) Skepticism toward UI generation tools (44:16) Naming conflicts and AI context (47:01) Claude skills for token management (48:26) Automated release notes process (52:45) AI hype and practical takeaways Check out Command Zero: https://www.commandzero.ai Connect with Reony Tonneyck: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reonytonneyck/ About Intent & CraftIntent & Craft is a product design podcast from the team at Headway. We dig into design systems, AI in the design process, and what it really takes to scale design for software. Made for design leaders, product leaders, and the teams building alongside them.Headway is a full-cycle product studio. We work in four areas: design systems, digital transformation, new products, and artificial intelligence. We partner with growth-stage B2B SaaS companies, mid-market teams, and enterprise innovation groups.HostsBilly Sweetman, Head of Design at HeadwayBreanna Shappy, Design Lead at HeadwayConnect with the TeamBilly Sweetman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sweetman/Breanna Shappy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/breanna-shappy/Melissa Gallagher: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissacgallagher/Sam Pecard: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samuelpecard/Related LinksHeadway Website: https://www.headway.ioIntent & Craft Website: http://intentandcraft.com/Headway on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/headwayio/Newsletter: https://www.headway.io/the-manifestGot a topic idea or want to be a guest?Reach out to us on LinkedIn or email Billy Sweetman at [email protected]