World-Building with Design Systems, Chapter 1

Imagine standing at the edge of an unexplored continent, map in hand, ready to chart unknown territories. This is the essence of world-building—creating entire universes from the ground up. But how do we approach such a monumental task? How do we ensure our imagined worlds are not only vivid and engaging but also consistent and logically sound?

In this textbook, we embark on an unconventional journey through the art and science of world-building. Our guide? An unexpected ally from the realm of digital design: the concept of design systems.

The Power of Design Systems

In the world of user interface design, a design system is more than just a style guide or pattern library. It’s a comprehensive framework of reusable components, guided by clear standards, that can be assembled to build any number of applications or websites. These systems ensure consistency, efficiency, and scalability in design.

But what if we could apply these same principles to crafting entire universes?

This textbook posits a bold thesis: the methodologies used in creating robust design systems offer a powerful framework for world-builders. By adopting this approach, we can construct rich, complex universes with the same systematic thinking and attention to detail that goes into crafting seamless digital experiences.

An Experimental Journey

Unlike traditional approaches to world-building, we won’t start by laying out all the rules and techniques upfront. Instead, we’ll embark on an experimental journey, discovering the principles of effective world-building through hands-on exploration and reflection.

Our experiment centers around a fascinating mathematical model: Conway’s Game of Life.

Teaser: Conway’s Game of Life

Imagine a grid of cells, each of which can be in one of two states: alive or dead. Now, imagine that these cells can evolve from one generation to the next, following a simple set of rules. This is the essence of Conway’s Game of Life, a cellular automaton that demonstrates how complex patterns can emerge from simple rules.

As we delve into this intriguing simulation, we’ll uncover recurring patterns and structures. These patterns will serve as more than mere curiosities—they’ll become the building blocks of our approach to world-building.

A Glimpse into Our Fictional Universe

To put our discoveries into practice, we’ll be developing a unique science fiction scenario throughout this textbook. Picture a world where, in the year 2024, humanity suddenly developed telepathic abilities. This unexpected evolution led to the breakdown of existing power structures and security systems, as secrets could no longer be contained.

Now, fifty years later, society has been radically reshaped by this change. But in this world of open minds, are there still secrets? And if so, how are they kept?

As we progress through our study of design systems and the Game of Life, we’ll use our insights to craft the intricate details of this post-telepathic world. The patterns we observe in our cellular automaton experiments will take on new meaning as we map them onto the elusive “secrets” in our telepathic society.

The Road Ahead

In the coming chapters, we’ll begin by setting up our digital workshop. You’ll learn to use tools like GitHub, create your first web pages, and bring the Game of Life to life in your web browser. Along the way, you’ll start documenting your journey and insights in your own blog.

As we experiment, observe, and create, we’ll gradually introduce key world-building concepts such as decomposition, scalability, and design tokens. But unlike a traditional textbook, these concepts will emerge organically from your own discoveries and reflections.

By the end of this journey, you’ll have gained not just a theoretical understanding of world-building, but practical skills in coding, pattern recognition, and systematic creativity. More importantly, you’ll have crafted a rich, logically consistent world of your own, born from the fascinating intersection of cellular automata and design systems.

Are you ready to embark on this experimental odyssey in world-building? Let’s begin by setting up our digital tools and taking our first steps into the captivating world of Conway’s Game of Life.