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PJ Onori

@pjonori.com
780 followers 237 following 1.2K posts

I work on and write about design systems. Purveyor of fine typos.

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PJ Onori @pjonori.com · 16h
I didn't know I needed to carve out a day to disable AI features from macOS 27.
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PJ Onori @pjonori.com · 22h
I wouldn’t take it personally.
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PJ Onori @pjonori.com · 28/09/2026
Have you been to YouTube?
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PJ Onori @pjonori.com · 28/09/2026
After many, many speaker talking about how much he meant to them, he said his final words. He spent the entire time thanking everyone else. He didn't utter a single word about himself. He's the epitome of a class act. He's given so much—and during his retirement, he chooses to thank everyone else.
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PJ Onori @pjonori.com · 28/09/2026
Mike Krukow has been a fixture of San Francisco Giants' radio and TV for 26 years. He's a future Hall of Famer. Today was his last day. If you're not familiar with the Giants, it's impossible to know how much he's meant to fans. And on his last day, he got a great sendoff.
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PJ Onori @pjonori.com · 28/09/2026
This Krukow sendoff is punching me in the feels.
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Reposted by PJ Onori
Design system news @designsystems.news · 27/09/2026
Week of September 27, 2026 designsystems.news/#week-2026-9-27
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PJ Onori @pjonori.com · 26/09/2026
Is anyone surprised by this? youtu.be/uh7s2jr0b48?...
youtu.be
We Investigated the Christian "Scam" Fronted by Tim Tebow | PTFO
YouTube video by PABLO TORRE FINDS OUT
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PJ Onori @pjonori.com · 22/09/2026
I won’t.
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PJ Onori @pjonori.com · 21/09/2026
Oh, well in that case, sign me up!
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PJ Onori @pjonori.com · 21/09/2026
I don’t say this with a sliver of hyperbole. I will never wear a helmet to use software.
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Reposted by PJ Onori
Design system news @designsystems.news · 20/09/2026
Week of September 20, 2026 designsystems.news/#week-2026-9-20
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PJ Onori @pjonori.com · 20/09/2026
designsystemdocspec.org
designsystemdocspec.org
Design system doc spec 0.21.0
A machine-readable format for design system documentation, what it means for a document to conform to the spec, and every rule the spec enforces.
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PJ Onori @pjonori.com · 20/09/2026
DSDS 0.21.0 is out. - A new style guide for how to structure/order the schema - traits' traitType now provides more explicit callout to variants vs states via traitType - sections can now carry tags for easier categorization - A new apiId allows for mapping prop/attribute names to traits and combos
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PJ Onori @pjonori.com · 17/09/2026
Aren’t those just glasses? And if so, why the hell would meta be in the business of selling just glasses? That has absolutely nothing to do with spying on children.
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PJ Onori @pjonori.com · 17/09/2026
Nate has forgotten more about color than most of us will ever know about it. Interested to hear what he has to say.
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Reposted by PJ Onori
Donnie D'Amato @donnie.damato.design · 17/09/2026
Yesterday on Wireframe LIVE, @natebaldwin.bsky.social came on the show to talk about data in design. We chatted about our thoughts on the scalability problem of curating modes that are influenced by multiple dimensions. ☝️ If that made sense to you then watch below 👇 www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfi_...
Nate Baldwin on Wireframe LIVE
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PJ Onori @pjonori.com · 17/09/2026
I didn’t say that at all. I said there was a simple answer. But there’s also a reason why it hasn’t happened.
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PJ Onori @pjonori.com · 17/09/2026
Thanks! I’ll read it!
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PJ Onori @pjonori.com · 17/09/2026
Hey, just a quick note: I’m constantly on the hunt for design systems content for Designsystems.news. Specifically: * Not written by AI * Not entirely about AI * Not published on some paywalled/subwalled platform (includes Medium/Substack) Send me your links—would love to read them.
designsystems.news
Design systems news
Design systems news is a weekly design systems editorial by PJ Onori.
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PJ Onori @pjonori.com · 17/09/2026
There's a simple answer (but admittedly hard for some)—stop using these platforms.
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PJ Onori @pjonori.com · 16/09/2026
The biggest takeaway of all of this for me is how problematic it is to choose a technology based on how much it's currently used. Because the next best thing is always right around the corner.
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PJ Onori @pjonori.com · 15/09/2026
I’m not sure if we‘re in the hardest time for design systems, but we’re definitely in the weirdest.
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PJ Onori @pjonori.com · 14/09/2026
Nope.
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PJ Onori @pjonori.com · 14/09/2026
Maybe that was always the goal.
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PJ Onori @pjonori.com · 14/09/2026
Age of Ultron hits different in 2026.
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PJ Onori @pjonori.com · 14/09/2026
Pretty much.
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PJ Onori @pjonori.com · 14/09/2026
It can be—potentially. It can also create a false sense of understanding. Measuring adoption is a descent into madness.
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PJ Onori @pjonori.com · 14/09/2026
I don’t know. Atoms are sometimes used for tokens. Sometimes for components. That alone causes ambiguity in definitions. And what‘s division between molecule and organism? Seems fuzzy to me.
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PJ Onori @pjonori.com · 14/09/2026
That exactly. It starts with a measure of component tiers.
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PJ Onori @pjonori.com · 14/09/2026
Lefty here—could care less.
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PJ Onori @pjonori.com · 14/09/2026
I don’t think all adoption is created equal. Using 5 Box components is way different than 5 navigation sidebar components. But the only way that kind of measurement can occur is by assigning a tier value to each component.
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PJ Onori @pjonori.com · 14/09/2026
I think if it was just a rename, the exercise would be pretty useless. I’m trying to come up with a more repeatable rule that can assign a component‘s level based on its structure. It’s the subjective assignment that I’m against. And, honestly, we could call each tier atoms, molecules, etc.
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PJ Onori @pjonori.com · 14/09/2026
But aren't those different things? Designers want categorization and engineers what inheritance. I'm viewing this from the lens of measuring adoption—and I think both are important, but for different reasons.
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PJ Onori @pjonori.com · 14/09/2026
What does that look like for engineers?
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PJ Onori @pjonori.com · 14/09/2026
Yeah, I hear you. This may be something that can't be objectively assigned. The current reality seems too squishy though.
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PJ Onori @pjonori.com · 14/09/2026
In 2026, you choose your CMS based in part by how much drama you can tolerate.
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PJ Onori @pjonori.com · 14/09/2026
You’re not wrong.
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PJ Onori @pjonori.com · 14/09/2026
Also worth mentioning—I just applied that approach to our own design system and had some pretty hard disagreements where some components ended up. So, the thinking needs some work. 😂
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PJ Onori @pjonori.com · 14/09/2026
Damned good question. This came up when I started thinking about measuring usage. I don't think all components are created equal—usage of some have more weight than others. But how do we weigh that?
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PJ Onori @pjonori.com · 14/09/2026
Perfect? No. But something that's repeatable and _should_ be more universally applicable across systems. Thoughts?
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PJ Onori @pjonori.com · 14/09/2026
I've been thinking about a more objective way to assign "tiers" to design system components. I'm wondering if something as simple as this: - Level 0: Components made from no other components - Level 1: Components made from Level 0 components - Level n: Components made from Level n-1 components.
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PJ Onori @pjonori.com · 14/09/2026
I'll never dismiss what Atomic Design has done to create an approachable model for design system hierarchies. That said, I find the divisions subjective—which in turn leads to wildly different interpretations.
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PJ Onori @pjonori.com · 13/09/2026
Jesus.
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Reposted by PJ Onori
Design system news @designsystems.news · 13/09/2026
Week of September 13, 2026 designsystems.news/#week-2026-9-13
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PJ Onori @pjonori.com · 13/09/2026
People can and should fall on whatever end of the spectrum they wish regarding Ferrari. My main interest is how the underlying critique applies to design systems. I don't think it's an empty accusation.
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PJ Onori @pjonori.com · 13/09/2026
I think the tricky thing is that software companies became so big that individual effort became unwieldy. I still believe that software design within a large org has to have some way to keep cohesion—typically done with a design system. But to your point, there's another solution—stay small.
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PJ Onori @pjonori.com · 13/09/2026
Yeah. And to be clear, I'm not packing my bags and leaving design systems. But I also don't want to intentionally ignore its downsides.
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PJ Onori @pjonori.com · 13/09/2026
It’s hard to watch this as a design system practitioner and not have a nagging, “are we the baddies?” moment. m.youtube.com/watch?v=HgjX...
m.youtube.com
Why Nothing Looks Cool Anymore
YouTube video by Design Theory
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Reposted by PJ Onori
Design system news @designsystems.news · 12/09/2026
Week of September 6, 2026 designsystems.news/#week-2026-9-6
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