Mark Zebley

Design systems are at their best when they get out of the way. I love doing the hard, clever work up front - the tiny details, the polish, the accessible flexibility - so that once it’s out in the world, using it feels obvious. My work with the Weiss Center(opens in a new tab) has been largely about building token-driven systems where that effort is baked in, not optional, and doesn’t require someone to remember to make time for it later.

I tend to notice when things are harder than they need to be and have a tough time letting it go once I have. A lot of my component work comes from breaking messy, complex ideas down until what’s left is something small, reusable, and calm. Something that just feels right when you reach for it. When it’s working, you shouldn’t have to think about the component at all - you just keep building.

I believe everyone deserves access to the same content, regardless of how they interact with it. The accessibility work I care most about is building systems that adapt to people (not the other way around), but without adding friction for the folks building or maintaining them. Ideally, the accessibility becomes a property of the system itself and not a punchlist to be run through after the fact.

Music is where I get to pay attention without needing a reason or a plan. I’m often surprised by how the bits that feel strange or off at first - given enough time - often become my favorite parts, or even change the direction of the whole piece. It’s one of the few places where I don’t need to be sure yet.