Arctic Base: A Six-Year Journey to a Better E Commerce Design System

Introduction: Why We Needed a Better Starting Point

For years we started every new client project the same way. We rebuilt the same foundational screens, components, flows and documentation from scratch. Our time was spent pixel pushing instead of listening deeply to clients, understanding their customers and solving real problems in creative ways.

We wanted more time for consulting, problem solving and delivering truly bespoke experiences. The idea of using templates to support custom work felt counterintuitive at first. What we learned is that a strong and flexible starting point does not limit creativity. It protects it. It removes unnecessary work, creates guardrails and frees the team to focus on the parts of the project that really matter.

Arctic Base grew out of that need.

2019: The Starting Point and a Team of Generalists

In 2019 we moved from Sketch and InVision into Figma. This was the first time we had centralized project storage along with shared libraries, components, and styles. Suddenly we could imagine building reusable template files.

At this time we had never heard the term design system. Everyone on the team simply carried the title designer. We did not have specializations in UX, UI, or interaction design. Each designer managed every phase of a project from early idea to a fully built prototype.

We were moving quickly but not always with intention.

The Push: Designers and Developers Needed Better Alignment

Over time, tension grew between the design and development teams. Designers did not always understand platform limitations or technical requirements. We designed primarily based on client requests, which were sometimes disconnected from what was feasible. Developers then had to make everything work. Because we used a flat rate pricing model, there were no extra hours available even when features were difficult.

The situation was unsustainable. The design team needed to close the knowledge gap. We identified four priorities that would become the early seeds of Arctic Base.

1. Platform functionality documentation created by designers. We needed clear explanations of what the e-commerce platforms could and could not do.

2. Stronger client guidance from the design team. We wanted to confidently explain possibilities, limitations, and cost impacts during the design phase.

3. Base-level design templates aligned with the developer starter environments. Designs needed to begin at the same starting point as development, so we could visually show how to get from A to B.

4. Foundational e-commerce UX expertise. Design is subjective, but e-commerce performance is not. We needed research-backed standards to help us guide clients and build confidence within the team.

2020: Skill Building, Specializing and Staying Sane

In 2020 we invested in world-class e-commerce UX training through the Baymard Institute. The team earned certifications and we began to rebuild our process.

We restructured the team into UX designers and UI designers so each discipline could focus on its strengths. UX designers created platform documentation and began building wireframe templates based on real development environments.

This year laid important groundwork for everything that came later.

2021: Finding a Name and Creating Arctic Base

In 2021 we discovered the world of design systems. We suddenly had a name for the thing we had been trying to create.

We called it Arctic Base. In our minds it looked like a research outpost in the tundra where a team of determined designers study patterns and test ideas to create the best possible e-commerce experiences.

We also made a well-intentioned mistake. We asked three brand new junior designers to build the bulk of the component library as a training exercise. They worked hard and did the best they could with limited documentation. As you might expect, we eventually needed to rebuild most of that early work. Even so, the experience taught us a lot about what we needed from a system and from the people maintaining it.

2022: Integrating Designs and Documentation

By 2022 we realized that our documentation lived separately from our design files. Developers were reading information that did not always match the designs.

We created an annotation system so functionality could be documented directly inside our Figma files. Designers could explain behavior and platform nuances right where developers needed them. This simple change improved accuracy, reduced friction and helped rebuild trust between teams.

2023: Full Adoption, Many Lessons and One Pink Input Field

In 2023 we used Arctic Base for all e-commerce projects. This came with plenty of trial and error.

At one point we accidentally sent a file to development with bright pink input fields for a very refined Scandinavian furniture brand. The style did not match the brand at all. Our QA team caught it before anything went live. Situations like this taught us to strengthen review processes and create more reliable component controls.

By the end of the year the system was working, although it required a lot of focus and patience.

Company wide process improvements also played a major role.

We switched from flat rate pricing to hourly billing.

This made project cost more transparent and allowed clients to collaborate more freely on scope. It also reduced pressure on the solutions team to predict every detail before kickoff.

Every project now includes a designer and developer feasibility review.

This ensures that UX decisions are practical before UI work begins.

Collaboration improved across the remote team.

With video walkthroughs, structured meeting agendas and regular whiteboard sessions we created more cross team connection than we had in our pre 2020 office days.

These changes supported the design system and made quality work more sustainable.

2024: A Mature System and a Team That Can Grow With It

By 2024 the core of Arctic Base was complete. The focus shifted to maintaining the system and expanding it.

We kept the library updated with new Figma capabilities. We added templates for platforms like Tailwind UI and Next.js. We improved patterns as our project variety grew.

We also discovered that design system work is its own skillset. Some designers naturally enjoy maintaining systems and documentation. Others prefer branding, interaction design or content heavy creative work.

Now the system is maintained by the people who enjoy it most. The rest of the team benefits from a strong foundation and can focus on the work that energizes them.

Because the foundational system work was handled, we were able to expand our services. We now support custom e-commerce builds, our own apps and themes, branding, content marketing and quick turnaround express services.

Arctic Base became a launchpad for much more than website design.

2025: AI Support and Future-Proofed Systems

In 2025 we introduced AI supported processes into our workflow. AI tools scan our design system for accessibility issues, inconsistent components and missing edge cases. These checks act like a fast and objective second set of eyes.

At the same time our client work shifted toward headless architectures and SaaS products. The past six years of design system thinking prepared us well for this change. We already had the habits, documentation and processes needed to build flexible and future friendly systems.

Arctic Base now supports a wider range of products and helps us create solutions that last.

Conclusion

Arctic Base started as a simple desire to stop rebuilding the same things. Over five years it became a foundation that improved our process, strengthened collaboration, increased quality and expanded what we can

offer as a team.

A good design system is never finished. It grows with the team, with technology and with the needs of our clients. Arctic Base continues to evolve, but its biggest impact has already been made. It gave us the space and confidence to do our best creative work.