I’m Dennis Buizert, a Design Systems Architect.
I help product teams build tokenized, scalable design architectures that align design and engineering — reducing friction, improving consistency, and cutting implementation time.
With over 3 years focused on design systems and a 15-year foundation in information security and process design, I bring a systems-first mindset to scaling complex products sustainably.
Design Systems projects
Design System Documentation Reimagined
In 2025, I led the re-architecture of a multi-platform documentation system for a tokenized design system. My goal was to create a sustainable, tool-agnostic model that served designers, developers, and stakeholders simultaneously. By structuring documentation into layered audiences, linking live Tokens Studio data, and integrating visual previews across Figma and external platforms, I built a resilient documentation ecosystem that improved onboarding speed, reduced redundancy, and ensured long-term scalability independent of any single tool.
Re-Architecting the ZOLEO Design System
In 2022 I supported their Design Lead and I collaborated on maintaining and expanding the company’s design system built with Tokens Studio. When the Lead departed in 2023, I transitioned into the sole Designer role, taking full ownership of the Design System re-architecture—rebuilding its token framework, refining component structures, and establishing a sustainable governance model that improved design-to-dev efficiency by 80%.
Recent work
Studio Buizert - Ongoing
Studio Buizert is my independent practice, where I bring systems thinking, tokenization, and user-centered design into real workflows. I collaborate with teams tackling complex products and evolving technologies, always aiming to make design systems scalable, maintainable, and future-ready.
ZOLEO App 6.7 + 6.8 (Q1-Q2 2025)
Tackling the most pressing customer pain points—focusing specifically on reliability issues that was eroding user confidence in the platform. The challenge was delivering meaningful improvements within tight constraints while laying groundwork for the upcoming transformation.
The centerpiece was redesigning the device linking flow, which had become a major friction point during onboarding. I streamlined the entire experience while developing supporting iconography and underlying logic systems. This work not only solved immediate user frustrations but created reusable patterns that would support the broader app overhaul down the line.
MyZOLEO 2.0 (Q42022-Q12024)
Hired by ZOLEO in 2022 as support for their Design Lead, I collaborated on reimagining the MyZOLEO Dashboard and implementing a CICD pipeline with design tokens. When the Lead departed in 2023, I transitioned to become the company's sole Designer, taking full ownership of the MyZOLEO Dashboard 2.0 project.
Recent articles
Let's talk 📨
Does your team need help? I’m available for remote design systems and token projects around the world. I favor long term engagements where I can embed into your organization to bring more value.
Recent work
MyZOLEO 2.0 (Q42022-Q12024)
Hired by ZOLEO in 2022 as support for their Design Lead, I collaborated on reimagining the MyZOLEO Dashboard and implementing a CICD pipeline with design tokens. When the Lead departed in 2023, I transitioned to become the company's sole Designer, taking full ownership of the MyZOLEO Dashboard 2.0 project.
MyZOLEO 2.0 (Q42022-Q12024)
Hired by ZOLEO in 2022 as support for their Design Lead, I collaborated on reimagining the MyZOLEO Dashboard and implementing a CICD pipeline with design tokens. When the Lead departed in 2023, I transitioned to become the company's sole Designer, taking full ownership of the MyZOLEO Dashboard 2.0 project.
ZOLEO App 6.7 + 6.8 (Q1-Q2 2025)
Tackling the most pressing customer pain points—focusing specifically on reliability issues that was eroding user confidence in the platform. The challenge was delivering meaningful improvements within tight constraints while laying groundwork for the upcoming transformation.
The centerpiece was redesigning the device linking flow, which had become a major friction point during onboarding. I streamlined the entire experience while developing supporting iconography and underlying logic systems. This work not only solved immediate user frustrations but created reusable patterns that would support the broader app overhaul down the line.
ZOLEO App 6.7 + 6.8 (Q1-Q2 2025)
Tackling the most pressing customer pain points—focusing specifically on reliability issues that was eroding user confidence in the platform. The challenge was delivering meaningful improvements within tight constraints while laying groundwork for the upcoming transformation.
The centerpiece was redesigning the device linking flow, which had become a major friction point during onboarding. I streamlined the entire experience while developing supporting iconography and underlying logic systems. This work not only solved immediate user frustrations but created reusable patterns that would support the broader app overhaul down the line.
Studio Buizert - Ongoing
Studio Buizert is where I explore systems thinking, tokenization, and user-centered design through hands-on work with real teams, complex products, and evolving technologies. I didn’t plan on going independent—my shift to freelance came after my long-term contract with ZOLEO ended due to company-wide arbitration. But that change opened new doors, including the chance to keep working alongside Sam Gordashko, my mentor and former manager, who’s widely respected in the design systems and tokens space for her time at Tokens Studio.
Studio Buizert - Ongoing
Studio Buizert is where I explore systems thinking, tokenization, and user-centered design through hands-on work with real teams, complex products, and evolving technologies. I didn’t plan on going independent—my shift to freelance came after my long-term contract with ZOLEO ended due to company-wide arbitration. But that change opened new doors, including the chance to keep working alongside Sam Gordashko, my mentor and former manager, who’s widely respected in the design systems and tokens space for her time at Tokens Studio.
Design Systems projects
Design System Documentation Reimagined
Studio Buizert is my independent practice, where I bring systems thinking, tokenization, and user-centered design into real workflows. I collaborate with teams tackling complex products and evolving technologies, always aiming to make design systems scalable, maintainable, and future-ready.
Re-Architecting the ZOLEO Design System
In 2022 I supported their Design Lead and I collaborated on maintaining and expanding the company’s design system built with Tokens Studio. When the Lead departed in 2023, I transitioned into the sole Designer role, taking full ownership of the Design System re-architecture—rebuilding its token framework, refining component structures, and establishing a sustainable governance model that improved design-to-dev efficiency by 80%.
Design Systems projects
Design System Documentation Reimagined
Studio Buizert is my independent practice, where I bring systems thinking, tokenization, and user-centered design into real workflows. I collaborate with teams tackling complex products and evolving technologies, always aiming to make design systems scalable, maintainable, and future-ready.
Re-Architecting the ZOLEO Design System
In 2022 I supported their Design Lead and I collaborated on maintaining and expanding the company’s design system built with Tokens Studio. When the Lead departed in 2023, I transitioned into the sole Designer role, taking full ownership of the Design System re-architecture—rebuilding its token framework, refining component structures, and establishing a sustainable governance model that improved design-to-dev efficiency by 80%.
Let's talk 📨
Does your team need help? I’m available for remote design systems and token projects around the world. I favor long term engagements where I can embed into your organization to bring more value.
Hello, I'm Dennis Buizert, a Design System Strategist & Product Designer.
With a unique background spanning 15+ years in information security and 4 years in product design, I specialize in translating design complexity into elegant, maintainable systems that serve both users and development teams.
Recent work
Studio Buizert
Studio Buizert is where I explore systems thinking, tokenization, and user-centered design through hands-on work with real teams, complex products, and evolving technologies. I didn’t plan on going independent—my shift to freelance came after my long-term contract with ZOLEO ended due to company-wide arbitration. But that change opened new doors, including the chance to keep working alongside Sam Gordashko, my mentor and former manager, who’s widely respected in the design systems and tokens space for her time at Tokens Studio.
Studio Buizert
Studio Buizert is where I explore systems thinking, tokenization, and user-centered design through hands-on work with real teams, complex products, and evolving technologies. I didn’t plan on going independent—my shift to freelance came after my long-term contract with ZOLEO ended due to company-wide arbitration. But that change opened new doors, including the chance to keep working alongside Sam Gordashko, my mentor and former manager, who’s widely respected in the design systems and tokens space for her time at Tokens Studio.
MyZOLEO 2.0 (Q42022-Q12024)
Hired by ZOLEO in 2022 as support for their Design Lead, I collaborated on reimagining the MyZOLEO Dashboard and implementing a CICD pipeline with design tokens. When the Lead departed in 2023, I transitioned to become the company's sole Designer, taking full ownership of the MyZOLEO Dashboard 2.0 project.
MyZOLEO 2.0 (Q42022-Q12024)
Hired by ZOLEO in 2022 as support for their Design Lead, I collaborated on reimagining the MyZOLEO Dashboard and implementing a CICD pipeline with design tokens. When the Lead departed in 2023, I transitioned to become the company's sole Designer, taking full ownership of the MyZOLEO Dashboard 2.0 project.
ZOLEO App 6.7 + 6.8 (Q1-Q2 2025)
Tackling the most pressing customer pain points—focusing specifically on reliability issues that was eroding user confidence in the platform. The challenge was delivering meaningful improvements within tight constraints while laying groundwork for the upcoming transformation.
The centerpiece was redesigning the device linking flow, which had become a major friction point during onboarding. I streamlined the entire experience while developing supporting iconography and underlying logic systems. This work not only solved immediate user frustrations but created reusable patterns that would support the broader app overhaul down the line.
ZOLEO App 6.7 + 6.8 (Q1-Q2 2025)
Tackling the most pressing customer pain points—focusing specifically on reliability issues that was eroding user confidence in the platform. The challenge was delivering meaningful improvements within tight constraints while laying groundwork for the upcoming transformation.
The centerpiece was redesigning the device linking flow, which had become a major friction point during onboarding. I streamlined the entire experience while developing supporting iconography and underlying logic systems. This work not only solved immediate user frustrations but created reusable patterns that would support the broader app overhaul down the line.
Let's talk 📨
Does your team need help? I’m available for remote design systems and token projects around the world. I favor long term engagements where I can embed into your organization to bring more value.
Hello, I'm Dennis Buizert, a Design System Strategist & Product Designer.
With a unique background spanning 15+ years in information security and 4 years in product design, I specialize in translating design complexity into elegant, maintainable systems that serve both users and development teams.
Recent articles
The Typography Token Trap: Why Your Scripts Break (And What Product Designers Should Learn From It)
If you’ve ever tried integrating typography tokens from Tokens Studio into Figma and found your script reporting **“no valid typography tokens found”** — you’re not alone. I recently ran into this exact issue while building a plugin to visualize tokens directly inside Figma. The color tokens were parsed and rendered perfectly, but typography tokens? Total failure. Let’s dig into why that happens, and why it matters more than it might seem at first.
Aug 5, 2025
Context-Aware Design Tokens: Building Platform-Agnostic Product Systems
I've been wrestling with a token architecture challenge lately, and I think I might have found an approach that could change how we think about platform-specific design systems. Let me walk you through my thinking process and the solution I'm exploring.
Jun 30, 2025
Building a Living Documentation Tool
So I've been tinkering with this idea for a while now - what if design tokens didn't have to live buried in some JSON file that only developers ever see? What if designers could actually play with them? With the Automator script no longer working due to Figma's API changes, I decided it was time. That's how I ended up building this Living Documentation Tool. It's a visual preview for design tokens where you can click on color swatches, get a preview of the typography, and actually see spacing in action. No more digging through Figma files or squinting at code.
Jun 20, 2025
Day 2 of Living Documentation - Contextualizing Radix Color Scales
Another day in improving the design system documentation applying Living Documentation steps. Focused on making Radix color scales more contextual for the team. Make it make sense for your team While Radix provides excellent documentation, there's often a disconnect when team members need to constantly switch between external resources and our internal design system. This context-switching can lead to reduced productivity and potential misalignment in implementation.
Jan 22, 2025
Making Token Documentation Dynamic
We've all been there - staring at a mountain of design tokens, knowing there has to be a better way to document them. Yesterday, I decided it was time to find that better way. Finding this article by Sam Gordashko on Living Documentation. So my morning started with what seemed like a straightforward plan: convert our design tokens into living documentation using Automator. Simple enough, right? Armed with optimism and my cup of coffee, I dove in.
Jan 21, 2025
Design Systems projects
Design System Documentation Reimagined
Studio Buizert is my independent practice, where I bring systems thinking, tokenization, and user-centered design into real workflows. I collaborate with teams tackling complex products and evolving technologies, always aiming to make design systems scalable, maintainable, and future-ready.
Design System Documentation Reimagined
Studio Buizert is my independent practice, where I bring systems thinking, tokenization, and user-centered design into real workflows. I collaborate with teams tackling complex products and evolving technologies, always aiming to make design systems scalable, maintainable, and future-ready.
Re-Architecting the ZOLEO Design System
In 2022 I supported their Design Lead and I collaborated on maintaining and expanding the company’s design system built with Tokens Studio. When the Lead departed in 2023, I transitioned into the sole Designer role, taking full ownership of the Design System re-architecture—rebuilding its token framework, refining component structures, and establishing a sustainable governance model that improved design-to-dev efficiency by 80%.
Re-Architecting the ZOLEO Design System
In 2022 I supported their Design Lead and I collaborated on maintaining and expanding the company’s design system built with Tokens Studio. When the Lead departed in 2023, I transitioned into the sole Designer role, taking full ownership of the Design System re-architecture—rebuilding its token framework, refining component structures, and establishing a sustainable governance model that improved design-to-dev efficiency by 80%.
Design Systems projects
Design System Documentation Reimagined
Studio Buizert is my independent practice, where I bring systems thinking, tokenization, and user-centered design into real workflows. I collaborate with teams tackling complex products and evolving technologies, always aiming to make design systems scalable, maintainable, and future-ready.
Design System Documentation Reimagined
Studio Buizert is my independent practice, where I bring systems thinking, tokenization, and user-centered design into real workflows. I collaborate with teams tackling complex products and evolving technologies, always aiming to make design systems scalable, maintainable, and future-ready.
Re-Architecting the ZOLEO Design System
In 2022 I supported their Design Lead and I collaborated on maintaining and expanding the company’s design system built with Tokens Studio. When the Lead departed in 2023, I transitioned into the sole Designer role, taking full ownership of the Design System re-architecture—rebuilding its token framework, refining component structures, and establishing a sustainable governance model that improved design-to-dev efficiency by 80%.
Re-Architecting the ZOLEO Design System
In 2022 I supported their Design Lead and I collaborated on maintaining and expanding the company’s design system built with Tokens Studio. When the Lead departed in 2023, I transitioned into the sole Designer role, taking full ownership of the Design System re-architecture—rebuilding its token framework, refining component structures, and establishing a sustainable governance model that improved design-to-dev efficiency by 80%.