The University of British Columbia's (UBC) world-class Brand and Marketing team (BAM) handles promoting and managing UBC’s brand, and helping the university with design and digital communication services.
Over time, this mandate naturally led to the formation of two distinct delivery subteams within BAM—design and digital. However, leaders at BAM understood that, in the digital age, the lines between these disciplines are blurring and collapsing. The roles represented—graphic design, brand management and execution, user experience, and software engineering—needed to work closer together. And what better metaphor for this collaboration than a Design System, where design and development meet?
BAM partnered with OXD to help their teams work together on creating a Design System framework. This will better align their various web properties. OXD helped the team create an effective workflow for ideation, collaboration, and decision-making. Simultaneously, they tackled challenges in governance, enhancing staff experience, and improving process efficiency.
OXD took a "player-coach" approach, guiding BAM through the adoption of Agile principles. We also helped their designers level up their Figma skills.
During this coaching engagement, we uncovered a critical truth: A Design System transcends being merely a tool; it’s an essential component of effective brand management.
The initial engagement and coaching has helped our teams come together.
UBC BAM team member