What Config 2025 taught us about the future of design systems + 5 Must-watch talks

If there’s one thing Config 2025 made obvious, it’s this: design systems are no longer just a “designer’s toolset” or a “component library.” They’re becoming the connective tissue of entire organizations — spanning product, engineering, brand, and even marketing teams.

It announced a vision, one where design, code, and content come together into a single, fluid workflow. And for those of us working in design systems, it was energizing to see so many teams finally talking about the same challenges we’ve been solving for years.

At Supernova, we’re building for the people scaling systems across real products. Not just prototyping flows or publishing token sets, but maintaining multi-brand libraries, syncing code examples, and delivering documentation that teams actually use. So when the Config keynote opened with tools like Figma Sites, Figma Make, and Buzz, it didn’t feel like a pivot.

Here’s what Figma launched — and how it ties into the future of systems (plus five talks you absolutely must watch if you care about the craft).

Figma’s big launches

✨ Figma Make (AI-to-prototype)

This tool lets you generate structured UIs from plain text prompts. It’s fun, fast, and exciting for early-stage iteration. But as systems people, we know: generating layouts is only a slice of the challenge. Real teams need to turn that structure into code-aligned components, reusable patterns, and documented guidelines.

🌐 Figma Sites (design-to-published pages)

Figma Sites is like a mini Framer inside Figma — you can build and publish marketing sites without leaving your design file. Cool? Absolutely. But also, limited.

If you’re building system documentation, multi-brand portals, or internal platforms that sync with code, tokens, and Storybook? You’ll outgrow Sites pretty quickly.

🖌️ Figma Draw (expressive vector tools)

A win for creativity. With custom brushes and expressive strokes, Draw opens the door to native illustration and brand styling right in Figma. And when you pair that with Supernova’s asset syncing and structured docs, those visuals become part of your system’s living language.

🐝 Figma Buzz (AI-branded content creation)

Buzz targets marketing teams, offering AI-generated email assets, ads, and posts. These can even pull in elements from your own Figma libraries. Honestly? We love this one.

Why? Because it means design systems thinking are no longer “just for product.” They’re becoming the bedrock of every team’s output.

🎥 5 must-watch Config 2025 talks for system builders

Now let’s talk talks. These five sessions made it crystal clear where systems are going — and why investing in them now matters more than ever.

1. From canvas to code: Building design systems, together

Chad Bergman & Jake Albaugh – Figma

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This session hit home for anyone straddling design and development. Chad and Jake dive deep into collaboration models, shared ownership, and how systems thrive when they’re co-owned by design and engineering — not tossed over the wall.

Watch this if: You’ve ever struggled to get devs to care about your system (or vice versa).

2. Designing dystopia: The creative vision behind Severance

Jeremy Hindle – Production designer

A fascinating look at world-building through visual systems. Jeremy walks through how visual constraints and design patterns shaped the eerie, iconic look of Severance. It’s a masterclass in consistency, even outside of UI.

Watch this if: You want inspiration on how structure fuels emotion and storytelling.

3. Expressive design and illustration in Figma Draw

Rogie King, Lauren Budorick,  Tim Van Damme — Figma

With Draw now live, this talk walks through how illustration and UI design are converging. It also explores how expressive elements can still live within a system’s rules — without becoming chaos.

Watch this if: You’re working on icons, visuals, or trying to bring personality into your system.

4. Building the next computing platform

Dylan Field (Figma) & Andrew “Boz” Bosworth (Meta)

This wasn’t just a keynote — it was a philosophical shift. Dylan and Boz explored how design tooling must evolve for spatial computing, AI, and emergent platforms. Their takeaway? Systems that scale across mediums and teams are the foundation of whatever comes next.

Watch this if: You’re building a system with longevity and flexibility in mind.

5. How top designers find their path and creative spark

Kevin Twohy – Twohy Design Works

This was a grounding, heartfelt session on how systems people stay creative, connected, and inspired. If you’re feeling burnout or wondering if your work matters, this is a beautiful reset.

Watch this if: You’re the glue in your org’s system — and sometimes feel unseen.

Final thoughts

If you’re scaling a design system, these announcements probably had you wondering: do we still need separate tools? And the answer is: yes — if you’re serious about scale.

Figma’s launches are fantastic for exploration and experimentation. But when it comes to alignment, developer integration, code-based documentation, version control, advanced theming, and real-world governance? That’s where Supernova goes deeper.

We’re excited about this future because it aligns with what we’ve been building all along: Connected systems, built to last.