CAMPARI
Email Design System
2023
Campari needed email to look and feel like Campari—across 10 brands, multiple markets, and constant campaigns—without slowing teams down. I led a token-based design system that made brand coherence portable and production faster.
What we built
Design tokens as the source of truth
Color, type, spacing, motion, and behaviors encoded as reusable, platform-agnostic variables.
Component library
Pre-tested modules that assemble into any campaign layout with predictable quality.
VML Direct (no-code builder)
A WYSIWYG interface for marketers to build emails within guardrails—speed without drift.
Governance & nomenclature
Shared language, accessibility rules, and clear handoffs so design and dev speak the same system.
How it works
One language, many expressions
Tokens map brand intent to code. Update once; it propagates everywhere.
Guardrails, not handcuffs
Modules flex for local needs and special events while keeping the signature intact.
Operational cadence
Intake → routing → reviews → QA → readouts. The system raises the floor so teams can raise the ceiling.
This turned email from a bottleneck into a capability: coherent at scale, faster to market, and easier to evolve. As brands grow and markets shift, the token architecture lets us modernize once and propagate everywhere—no template debt, no rework spiral.
System → product: the same architecture powers VML Direct, now scaling across clients and markets—turning Campari’s challenge into a reusable platform.