Building Inside Someone Else's System
A full digital brand redesign, with a design system at the centre of it all.
Building Inside Someone Else's System
A full digital brand redesign, with a design system at the centre of it all.
Building Inside Someone Else's System
A full digital brand redesign, with a design system at the centre of it all.
My role
UI Designer
Tags
Design System
Timeline
2018 -> 2019
My role
UI Designer
Tags
Design System
Timeline
2018 -> 2019
UI Designer
Design System
2018 -> 2019
Psst! Hey you! Want a quicker overview of what happened instead of reading the whole use-case? I got you! Click the button ->
Psst! Hey you! Want a quicker overview of what happened instead of reading the whole use-case? I got you! Click the button ->
Psst! Hey you! Want a quicker overview of what happened instead of reading the whole use-case? I got you! Click the button.
The project
Banco BiG is a Portuguese investment bank. The goal was a full digital rework of their universe (website and web app) with the primary focus on modernising the visual language across both and bringing everything under one coherent system. This wasn’t a refresh, it was a ground-up rethinking of how the brand lived digitally.
The project
Banco BiG is a Portuguese investment bank. The goal was a full digital rework of their universe (website and web app) with the primary focus on modernising the visual language across both and bringing everything under one coherent system. This wasn’t a refresh, it was a ground-up rethinking of how the brand lived digitally.
The project
Banco BiG is a Portuguese investment bank. The goal was a full digital rework of their universe (website and web app) with the primary focus on modernising the visual language across both and bringing everything under one coherent system. This wasn’t a refresh, it was a ground-up rethinking of how the brand lived digitally.
Coming in mid-project
When I joined this project, six months of UX work had already happened without me. The research was done, direction set, system starting to take shape. My job was to come in, get up to speed fast, and contribute without slowing anything down. What made it interesting was that this was also my first real experience working inside a proper design system. Not a component kit, not a shared Figma file everyone agreed to call a system, but something genuinely being used as a live reference by both design and engineering.
Coming in mid-project
When I joined this project, six months of UX work had already happened without me. The research was done, direction set, system starting to take shape. My job was to come in, get up to speed fast, and contribute without slowing anything down. What made it interesting was that this was also my first real experience working inside a proper design system. Not a component kit, not a shared Figma file everyone agreed to call a system, but something genuinely being used as a live reference by both design and engineering.
Coming in mid-project
When I joined this project, six months of UX work had already happened without me. The research was done, direction set, system starting to take shape. My job was to come in, get up to speed fast, and contribute without slowing anything down. What made it interesting was that this was also my first real experience working inside a proper design system. Not a component kit, not a shared Figma file everyone agreed to call a system, but something genuinely being used as a live reference by both design and engineering.
Simplified process for case study
Simplified process for case study
Simplified process for case study
The work
Most of my time went into building: components, page layouts, templates across the product suite. But the more valuable thing that happened on this project was learning how that kind of collaboration actually works: - Weekly syncs with engineering where both sides defined the week's work together. - No design decision that engineering didn't know about. - No engineering assumption that design hadn't signed off on. It was a welcome change from the rapid delivery cycles of agency work, allowing for a more strategic, research-driven design process.
The work
Most of my time went into building: components, page layouts, templates across the product suite. But the more valuable thing that happened on this project was learning how that kind of collaboration actually works: - Weekly syncs with engineering where both sides defined the week's work together. - No design decision that engineering didn't know about. - No engineering assumption that design hadn't signed off on. It was a welcome change from the rapid delivery cycles of agency work, allowing for a more strategic, research-driven design process.
The work
Most of my time went into building: components, page layouts, templates across the product suite. But the more valuable thing that happened on this project was learning how that kind of collaboration actually works: - Weekly syncs with engineering where both sides defined the week's work together. - No design decision that engineering didn't know about. - No engineering assumption that design hadn't signed off on. It was a welcome change from the rapid delivery cycles of agency work, allowing for a more strategic, research-driven design process.
What shipped
Spain went live (check it out with the button below). Portugal was still on the old design when I moved off the project. That's the honest version of the outcome – partial, but what went live was solid and the system behind it was built to keep going.
What shipped
Spain went live (check it out with the button below). Portugal was still on the old design when I moved off the project. That's the honest version of the outcome – partial, but what went live was solid and the system behind it was built to keep going.
What shipped
Spain went live (check it out with the button below). Portugal was still on the old design when I moved off the project. That's the honest version of the outcome – partial, but what went live was solid and the system behind it was built to keep going.
Step-by-step summary
Context
Discovery
NOT INVOLVED
Six months of UX research and discovery happened before I joined. Extensive user and stakeholder work was done by the lead team. I inherited the output, not the process.
Discovery
NOT INVOLVED
Six months of UX research and discovery happened before I joined. Extensive user and stakeholder work was done by the lead team. I inherited the output, not the process.
Definition
NOT INVOLVED
Scope, direction, and product decisions were locked before I came in. I had to get up to speed fast and work within decisions I had no part in making.
Definition
NOT INVOLVED
Scope, direction, and product decisions were locked before I came in. I had to get up to speed fast and work within decisions I had no part in making.
UI Design
FULL INVOLVEMENT
This is where I spent most of my time. Building and maintaining components, creating new page layouts, and contributing to a growing system that stakeholders and devs could both reference.
UI Design
FULL INVOLVEMENT
This is where I spent most of my time. Building and maintaining components, creating new page layouts, and contributing to a growing system that stakeholders and devs could both reference.
System Building
PARTIAL INVOLVEMENT
I contributed to what became a living design system – a shared playground for components and layouts. My first real taste of design work that was meant to scale, not just ship.
System Building
PARTIAL INVOLVEMENT
I contributed to what became a living design system – a shared playground for components and layouts. My first real taste of design work that was meant to scale, not just ship.
Engineering Collaboration
PARTIAL INVOLVEMENT
Weekly task syncs with the engineering team kept things honest. No decision went through without both sides knowing. I wasn't a formal process, but one that worked.
Engineering Collaboration
PARTIAL INVOLVEMENT
Weekly task syncs with the engineering team kept things honest. No decision went through without both sides knowing. I wasn't a formal process, but one that worked.
Delivery
NOT INVOLVED
Delivery for this project was tasked to the Lead Project Manager, plus the dev team involved.
Delivery
NOT INVOLVED
Delivery for this project was tasked to the Lead Project Manager, plus the dev team involved.
More projects
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Context
Done wtih my hands using Figma and Framer.
oto
Last updated: Jun 2026
Done wtih my hands using Figma and Framer.
Last updated: Jun 2026
oto
Done wtih my hands using Figma and Framer.
Last updated: Jun 2026
oto