Behind the scenes with our design team: our design system, website, and more

Plaid recently launched a new website and design system, which involved collaboration between designers Elena Gil-Chang and Ryan "Smitty" Smith. The design process included cycles of divergence and convergence, with the generative phase involving concept exploration based on brand personality traits. Stakeholders provided feedback during critiques, and user testing helped refine the final design. Illustration played a significant role in the website's design, offering flexibility and balance between technical and organic elements. The new design system aims to better represent Plaid's identity, be scalable and flexible, differentiate from competitors, and evolve with the company.