Skip to content

cjleeau/coherence

Repository files navigation

Coherence

A universal, inclusive design system for building coherent digital systems.

Coherence is not a UI kit.

It is a system layer that brings together design principles, semantic tokens, accessible components, and product patterns into a single, scalable foundation for modern digital products.


Why Coherence exists

Most design systems standardise interfaces.

Few address the deeper problem:

Systems drift, interfaces diverge, accessibility becomes inconsistent.
Value is lost between layers.

Coherence exists to solve that.

It ensures that:

  • Design decisions remain aligned across products and teams
  • Accessibility and inclusion are built in from the start
  • Systems behave consistently, not just visually, but structurally

What Coherence is

Coherence is a token-driven, accessibility-first design system, made up of:

Principles

The rules that guide how systems should behave.

Foundations

Colour, typography, spacing, motion, layout, and interaction standards.

Tokens

Semantic design tokens that scale meaning across themes, platforms, and products.

Components

Accessible, production-ready React components for real-world product use.

Patterns

Reusable product flows such as forms, dashboards, tables, and navigation.

Governance

Clear contribution, versioning, and release processes to maintain system integrity over time.


Architecture

Coherence is built as a layered system:

Principles

Foundations

Design Tokens (Style Dictionary)

CSS Variables + TypeScript Maps

React Primitives → Components → Patterns

Storybook (development + validation)

Next.js (documentation + system interface)


Tech Stack

  • Next.js — documentation site and system interface
  • React — component library
  • Storybook — component development and testing
  • Style Dictionary — design token pipeline
  • Tailwind CSS — implementation layer (token-driven)
  • TypeScript — type safety across the system
  • pnpm workspaces — monorepo management

Key principles

  • Semantic over visual naming
    Tokens express meaning, not appearance.

  • Accessibility by default
    WCAG compliance, keyboard navigation, and contrast are built into every layer.

  • System over surface
    Coherence focuses on how systems behave, not just how they look.

  • Consistency through structure
    Tokens, components, and patterns are aligned and interdependent.

  • Scalable by design
    Built to support themes, platforms, and evolving product ecosystems.


Getting started

pnpm install
pnpm dev:docs
pnpm dev:storybook

Planned structure

apps/
docs/ # Next.js documentation site
storybook/ # Storybook environment

packages/
tokens/ # Design tokens + Style Dictionary
primitives/ # Layout and text primitives
components/ # React component library
patterns/ # Product patterns
themes/ # Theme definitions
utils-a11y/ # Accessibility helpers


Roadmap

  • Phase 1 — Foundations and token system
  • Phase 2 — Core primitives and components
  • Phase 3 — Accessibility hardening
  • Phase 4 — Patterns and documentation
  • Phase 5 — Governance and public release

Contributing

Coherence is designed to evolve through structured contribution.

All changes must:

  • Follow token and component standards
  • Meet accessibility requirements
  • Pass automated checks
  • Include documentation updates

About

Coherence across systems, people, and interfaces

Topics

Resources

Stars

Watchers

Forks

Releases

No releases published

Packages

 
 
 

Contributors