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# From sketch to system
- URL: https://vanta-plus.planethemes.com/from-sketch-to-system/
- Published: 2026-09-05T09:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-05T09:00:00.000Z
- Description: Paper wireframes are cheap to throw away. That's the point.
- Author: Tomás Varela
- Tags: Design, #Import 2026-10-23 17:46

I start every layout with a marker that is too thick to draw details. It forces the question that matters: what is the biggest thing on this page?

## Three passes

1. Boxes only: what goes where.
2. Type sizes: what reads first.
3. Colour last: what the inks are for.

![](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1503387762-592deb58ef4e?auto=format&fit=crop&w=2000&q=80)

Fig. 2 — The third pass, before colour

## From paper to tokens

Once the page works on paper, every decision becomes a token: sizes, spacing, the two inks. The system is just the sketch, written down.