Design Systems for Multi-Brand Ecosystems
by Enok Madrid, Founder & Creative Director
1. The Token-First Approach
When building for 50+ brands, you can't design individual components for each one. Instead, you need a token-based system where colors, typography, spacing, and other properties are defined as variables that can be swapped per brand.
We created a comprehensive design token system that allows each brand to maintain its unique personality while sharing the same underlying component architecture. This meant one codebase could power dozens of distinct visual experiences.
2. Flexible Component Architecture
Traditional design systems assume a single brand with consistent visual language. Multi-brand systems need components that can adapt to different visual styles while maintaining consistent behavior and accessibility standards.
Our solution was creating "style-agnostic" components that accept brand-specific styling through props and CSS custom properties. A button component could look completely different across brands but behave identically.
3. Brand Inheritance Patterns
Not every brand needs to be completely unique. We established inheritance patterns where brands could extend base themes, creating visual families while maintaining individual identity.
This approach reduced maintenance overhead while giving brands the flexibility to stand out when needed. A casino brand might extend the "luxury" theme but add custom animations and color variations specific to their brand.