Shaun Bent @shaunbent.co.uk · 20hSweden is a nation of people who stand in train doorways and the at the top of escalators. Another favourite is standing midway down a flight of stairs. Zero awareness of their surroundings. So infuriating to live around. 010
Shaun Bent @shaunbent.co.uk · 07/10/2026My design systems writing has moved to a permanent home on the @53degrees.studio site. I had loads of fun designing and building it, and all the old links redirect. Next week: a 6,500-word, three-part story about building a "System of Systems" at Spotify. Grab a brew. ☕️ 🔗 53degrees.studio/posts 180
Shaun Bent @shaunbent.co.uk · 30/09/2026Guy on LinkedIn bragging about laying off 80% of his designers. 🤦♂️ To me it screams, toxic, poor leadership, certainly not something to be proud of. 020
Shaun Bent @shaunbent.co.uk · 22/09/2026I'm joining @bencallahan.com again on The Question this week. Share your thoughts and come join the discussion. Should be fun. 🤩 🔗 bit.ly/answerTheQuestion 163
Shaun Bent @shaunbent.co.uk · 14/09/2026I help organisations fix the people, culture and organisational challenges that stall design system efforts. Currently working with organisations like GDS and Lovable. If you're facing interesting design system challenges, or leading one that's stalled, I'd love to hear about it. DMs open. 010
Shaun Bent @shaunbent.co.uk · 14/09/2026It's been a little over a year since I left Spotify, after nine years of leading design systems and accessibility engineering. I've been pretty quiet about what I'm up to now. I now run my consultancy @53degrees.studio. 53degrees.studio 2140
Shaun Bent @shaunbent.co.uk · 11/09/2026Started seeing this on those LinkedIn job emails, companies using HDR logos so they stand out. 101
Shaun Bent @shaunbent.co.uk · 30/07/2026Totally acceptable. Also see a full angel delight, though you will feel sick after. 010
Shaun Bent @shaunbent.co.uk · 28/07/2026Sprints didn’t make sense before the AI onslaught. Entirely arbitrary blocks of time. 030
Shaun Bent @shaunbent.co.uk · 18/07/2026+1 @chrismedlandf1.bsky.social please pick a better platform. 020
Shaun Bent @shaunbent.co.uk · 07/07/2026If you’re acknowledging that it’s a stunt then make the stunt fail by not standing a candidate. @zackpolanski.bsky.social as a member of the party, please do not stand a candidate. 010
Shaun Bent @shaunbent.co.uk · 07/06/2026But if we say AI we can jack up the price. 💡static.klipy.comTkt Smart Meme: Think SmartAlt: Tkt Smart Meme: Think Smart 130
Reposted by Shaun Bentrem / Remy Sharp @remysharp.com · 02/06/2026In Katie's words: Please share if you think Greens should be doing better 💚 @bhgreens.bsky.social @greenparty.org.uk @zackpolanski.bsky.social 277
Reposted by Shaun BentAmy Hupe @amyhupe.bsky.social · 01/06/2026Hi BlueSky pals 📣 Having just completed a fun project with the folks at Clearleft, I’m on the lookout for my next project. I’m open to part-time or full-time contracts outside IR35 and I can help you with: - design systems consultancy & management - content design - design systems documentationamyhupe.co.ukTestimonialsContent design and design systems consultant 14431
Shaun Bent @shaunbent.co.uk · 01/06/2026This can’t be true. You’re telling me when the UK was in the EU we got to vote on laws? We didn’t just have to do whatever Brussels said? 🤯 I for one am shocked, I feel lied to, something, something sovereignty. 070
Shaun Bent @shaunbent.co.uk · 29/05/2026Apparently, he was with his wife and kid. Poor kid being brought up in that environment, having those fucked up views pushed on him. 010
Shaun Bent @shaunbent.co.uk · 29/05/2026A friend coming to visit me in Manchester today has just gotten off her train two stops early and is walking because she felt uncomfortable on the train with a racist guy shouting about immigrants being invaders and getting arrested for attacking travellers. Grim. 🤢 130
Shaun Bent @shaunbent.co.uk · 29/05/2026You've got to look at the positive side: someone is getting a promotion because they "did AI". 🤦♂️ 000
Shaun Bent @shaunbent.co.uk · 27/05/2026Is badgering by campaigners not essentially what all parties due during an election? 100
Shaun Bent @shaunbent.co.uk · 27/05/2026It doesn't really matter. Reform voters are voting for Nigel, not Robert Kenyon. It could be literally anyone standing for Reform, and people would still vote because they think it means Nigel. 191
Shaun Bent @shaunbent.co.uk · 22/05/2026Introduce yourself with ten bands you’ve seen live City & Colour Foo Fighters Oasis Fall Out Boy Hot Milk Kids in Glass Houses Enter Shikari A Day to Remember Lady Gaga Elton John 020
Shaun Bent @shaunbent.co.uk · 15/05/2026So many feature decisions are decided by handful of senior leaders. Design by HiPPO. I saw multiple times leaders demanding features based on their opinions, against the team’s advice, data from user testing supported the team but it still went ahead because the leader knew better than the data. 110
Shaun Bent @shaunbent.co.uk · 03/05/2026You’re crazy. How do you even come up with these ideas? 🙈 010
Shaun Bent @shaunbent.co.uk · 30/04/2026🙏 Thanks for replying. I feel what you’re saying, it does seem endless. 020
Shaun Bent @shaunbent.co.uk · 30/04/2026I love your content, have helped crowdfund all your books, please consider using a different platform to host your content: leavesubstack.comleavesubstack.comYou Should Probably Leave SubstackYou should probably leave Substack. Here’s why and how. 100
Shaun Bent @shaunbent.co.uk · 27/04/2026Film you've watched more than six times with a gif. Hard mode: no Star Trek, Star Wars, LOTR, DC, Marvel, Disney, Pixar, Spielberg, Cameron, Wachowskis, or Ghibli.media.tenor.coma man with long hair says put the bunny in front of a danger signAlt: a man with long hair says put the bunny in front of a danger sign 010
Shaun Bent @shaunbent.co.uk · 23/04/2026Design handoff belongs in the bin. Not improved, made irrelevant. 🗑️ It's a waterfall relic we've normalised as best practice. I wrote about what the alternative looks like and how to get there. 🔗 bit.ly/4e4Blaebit.lyDesign handoff belongs in the binImproving the handoff process is a worthy goal, but it's the wrong one. The goal should be to make handoff irrelevant entirely, and here's how you get there. 191
Shaun Bent @shaunbent.co.uk · 17/04/2026It’s a good album, enjoying it aswell. They were in Manchester the day of the album launch and signed a few copies at a local record store and I managed to grab one. 😍 110
Reposted by Shaun BentMonteiro @monteiro.bsky.social · 13/04/2026Y'all need to get the fuck off Substack. 15856264
Reposted by Shaun BentBen Callahan @bencallahan.com · 08/04/2026Just an hour left to get your answers in for The Question Episode 072: bit.ly/answerTheQue... We're talking about Extreme #designsystem Support!bit.lyThe Question is a weekly conversation for anyone seriously interested in Design Systems.Each Monday, you’ll receive an email from me with a design system related question. You’ll have 48 hours to answer. If you choose to do so, you’ll receive an invite to the deep dive on Thursday (or Fr... 011
Shaun Bent @shaunbent.co.uk · 10/03/2026Seriously. Every message in a channel is not a personal message to you that requires a response. 🤦♂️ 230
Reposted by Shaun BentAmy Hupe @amyhupe.bsky.social · 02/03/2026It’s that time again - I’m on the hunt for new clients from the beginning of April. I’m open to full or part-time contracts outside IR35. I can help you with: - design system consultancy, coaching, management or documentation - content design - UX writing - technical writing 1/2amyhupe.co.ukHello.Content design and design systems consultant 12732
Shaun Bent @shaunbent.co.uk · 23/02/2026Design systems are platform problems, not feature problems. Operating within a feature organisation can push design system teams from macro thinking to micro thinking. That misalignment compounds until the system stops functioning as a platform. www.shaunbent.co.uk/blog/design-...shaunbent.co.ukDesign systems are platform problems, not feature problemsWhere you put your design system team with your organisation determines how they think, what they build, and whether the system stays a platform or the teams become a UI feature factory. 280
Shaun Bent @shaunbent.co.uk · 22/02/2026This needs a flashing light warning. 🙈 It was a lot, but I loved it. 💜 110
Shaun Bent @shaunbent.co.uk · 19/02/2026This is going to be a great episode of “24 hours in Police custody”! 000
Shaun Bent @shaunbent.co.uk · 18/02/2026Every company has that one person who it seems like all they do is sit on Slack all day, instantly responding to everything and seems to be in every channel and conversation. 🙈 110
Shaun Bent @shaunbent.co.uk · 17/02/2026Thanks for reading and saying that. 🙏 We both worked there long enough to know how wild and nonsensical some of the decisions are. Not the most fun situation, but it was fun to write about. 010
Shaun Bent @shaunbent.co.uk · 17/02/2026Thanks for sharing. You're right about the positioning challenge. When leadership doesn't see design systems as critical infrastructure, they treat them as shuffleable nice-to-haves. That gap is where these bad decisions come from and the challenge we as DS leaders need to overcome. 120
Shaun Bent @shaunbent.co.uk · 17/02/2026Sometimes decisions are made for you. Everyone knows they're wrong, but you can't change them, and as a leader, you have to guide your team through it. I wrote a story of layoffs, reorgs, and bad decisions. How I led my team through it, and what I learnt. www.shaunbent.co.uk/blog/when-th...shaunbent.co.ukWhen the Decision Is Made, and You Can't Change ItSometimes decisions are made for you. They're clearly wrong, and you can't change them. This is about how you lead anyway. 3160