Mike Abbink

Exhibits

2x Grid

Typeface

Iconography

Color

Illustration

Animation

Workspace design language

Summary

In Spring 2017, leaders from the brand, digital, and product teams joined forces to define a design ethos and unify our brand identity and design system. This effort was intended to provide cohesion, strengthen our platform and culture and double down on our design craftsmanship. The work crystallized as the IBM Design Language (IDL). Its foundation is a set of essential design elements that serve as the core ingredients for expressing every IBM branded experience regardless of the medium and yield an aesthetic defined by beliefs, principles and actions.

With a design philosophy and language in place, it was time to orchestrate the critical elements and manifest them across the business. Collaborating closely with design leaders and superstars from various parts of the company and design community to help engineer and flex the system. We created detailed guidance, tools, templates and assets, and a series of essential courses to help onboard IBMers and agency partners.