Brad Donnelley | Design Without Borders

Apple • Design Without Borders

Global expansion of a unified, distributed design system

How It All Started

The brief was to unify Apple’s sprawling ecosystem of web experiences through a single global design system—one that could scale across regions while preserving the clarity, strategy, and magic the brand is known for. The goal was to move away from bespoke, one-off pages and build a systemized, scalable foundation that empowers teams around the world to deliver high-quality, consistent experiences more efficiently.

In my role as Product Design Director, I led the strategic rollout of that system across international markets. I worked closely with geo teams, introduced new intake processes, and made sure each team had the support, tools, and direction they needed to deliver with confidence.

A Closer Look at the Problem

At Apple, design excellence has long been synonymous with custom-crafted experiences. But with scale comes complexity. Global teams were working in silos, duplicating efforts and making bespoke tweaks that undermined consistency and slowed delivery. Each region had different ways of working, with limited alignment on shared tools or processes. While creativity thrived, it came at the cost of efficiency, scalability, and brand cohesion. And as expectations for faster delivery grew, our traditional model simply couldn’t keep up.

We weren’t just building a design system—we were fundamentally changing how teams collaborate, how decisions get made, and how creativity gets expressed within shared constraints.

The devil’s in the details—and so are the answers. A sharper look at the key topics likely on your mind.

It’s always an honor to have work recognized by the creative industry’s leading voices. Whether for global brands or breakthrough moments, these awards reflect what’s possible when teams rally around a clear idea, push boundaries, and execute with craft. While the trophies are never the goal, they’re a proud reminder of what purposeful creativity can achieve.

Deep-dive interviews with regional design leads surfaced inconsistencies in tools, terminology, and approval flows—pinpointing root causes of misalignment.

System-wide audits revealed how visual design, documentation, and decision-making diverged across markets, exposing high-friction handoffs and redundant workflows.

Behavioral insights were gathered from usage analytics and internal feedback channels to locate gaps in the adoption of shared practices.

Stakeholder alignment sessions uncovered divergent expectations, helped establish shared goals, and built a common language around quality, scale, and efficiency.

Opportunity mapping clarified which improvements would most impact team velocity, cohesion, and creative consistency.
We weren’t just identifying inefficiencies—we were reframing the problem entirely. This wasn’t a tooling issue or a governance issue. It was a system-level disconnect rooted in fragmented ways of working. By surfacing the real blockers, both cultural and operational, we gave teams a clear target for change. Without this clarity, the system risked becoming just another layer of overhead instead of a catalyst for better work.

How We Made It Happen

This was uncharted territory for Apple. Never before had a design system been rolled out at this scale—spanning geos, disciplines, and stakeholders. Collaboration became the foundation. We brought together dozens of global teams, many of whom had never worked this closely before. Through in-person workshops, recurring alignment sessions, and rigorous feedback loops, we fostered a culture of shared ownership and trust.

The system itself was rooted in reusable, rigorously crafted components—designed to meet most needs without constant reinvention. This shift away from bespoke designs created friction early on. Teams were used to pixel-tweaking. Now, they had to work within the system, and that required a mindset shift. To support this transition, we developed a suite of new processes: a detailed intake model that allowed geo teams to propose enhancements to the design system; a centralized review model to ensure consistency and maintain alignment with the overarching strategy; and robust training programs to help onboard teams to the system’s tools, philosophy, and purpose.

The devil’s in the details—and so are the answers. A sharper look at the key topics likely on your mind.

A global design sprint prototyped shared workflows, tested decision models, and co-created governance structures with design leads across regions.

System principles, documentation, and component logic were co-authored with cross-regional contributors to ensure every artifact reflected real needs and contexts.

A phased onboarding journey was built using live training, async modules, and regional advocates to drive deep understanding—moving beyond surface-level awareness.

An intake model enabled geo teams to propose enhancements, document edge cases, and flag local needs—establishing true two-way engagement with the system.

Regular feedback loops and a shared understanding helped track adoption patterns, surface blockers, and guide continuous iteration.

System coaching was embedded into day-to-day work, supporting teams as they shifted from bespoke execution to shared, scalable practices.
A system at this scale required more than new tools—it required trust. That trust came from involving teams early, giving them a say in how the system was shaped, and making it clear they were collaborators, not just recipients. The structure we put in place wasn’t about enforcing control, it became a source of stability. The intake process gave teams a clear way to contribute. Feedback loops created space for honest input and ongoing improvement. For teams navigating change, this structure didn’t slow them down, it gave them the clarity and confidence to move forward.

The Impact So Far

The rollout began with a few select regions, gradually expanding as confidence in the system grew. What once felt like a radical shift became second nature. We launched a comprehensive internal design system portal—a living, evolving hub offering everything from design files and content guidance to strategic documentation and reusable code. It quickly became the go-to resource for designers, writers, and developers across the company, updated weekly to reflect the latest design work and business priorities.

Crucially, we struck a careful balance: structure without stifling creativity. Apple designers are world-class—they want to push boundaries, craft thoughtful moments, and respond to the uniqueness of each product story. The system gave them a strong foundation to build from, while still allowing for expressive, elevated work where it mattered most.

What started as a design unification effort ultimately transformed how we work—creating lasting infrastructure, global alignment, and space for creativity to thrive within a shared system.

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