As a small Digital Experience team working within a large and complex institution, we saw an opportunity to fundamentally change how digital experiences were created at UCalgary. We wanted greater value for our audiences, while improving operational efficiency. We set out to define a new era of digital interaction design with our brand by creating the UCalgary Design System: a shared foundation that ensures every digital touchpoint feels consistent, accessible, and unmistakably UCalgary. Developed end-to-end in less than a year, from strategy and planning to full beta launch and first adopter, the system established our design standards, the creation of global foundations and tokenized design language, a full Figma design library, and coded ready-to-use core component packs. Now, any digital product built with the UCalgary brand would carry the same fully tested experience. The first enterprise adopter, our institutional service catalog, launched in November, and it was able to eliminate external design costs and accelerate delivery timelines.
From the Judges
This digital design system enables consistency and completely embodies the brand across the university. It's a foundational marketing piece that could inspire other large institutions.
