Visual designer. Systems thinker. Hands-on leader. I build design systems and the teams behind them.
Your product feels inconsistent. Your teams are moving slowly. Your designers and engineers are solving the same problems over and over. And now AI is adding a whole new layer of complexity. These are design systems problems. And whether you're starting from scratch, struggling with what you've built, or trying to figure out how AI fits in, getting the foundation right changes everything.
You might need help if:
You're a growing company and every new feature looks like it was built by a different team. You know you need a system, but you don't know where to start or how to staff it.
You have a design system, but adoption is low, quality is uneven, and the team building it is stretched thin or undervalued.
You're trying to bring AI agents into your development workflows, but your current system wasn't built to serve both humans and machines.
You're merging products or teams and need to unify multiple design languages into one coherent foundation.
Your leadership is bought in on "design systems" as a concept but doesn't understand what it actually takes. You need someone who can bridge that gap.
Why me:
I've spent a decade doing this inside enterprise organizations like Expedia, Dropbox, and Block, where I unified Cash App and Square's systems into a single foundation serving designers, engineers, and AI agents. I've also advised startups and smaller teams on getting systems off the ground from zero. I came up as a visual designer, so I care about craft showing up in product, not just efficiency.
I offer consulting services ranging from advisory and assessments to fully embedded leadership. I'm also open to full-time roles.
Working with Lauren LoPrete
Here's an overview of how I work.
Strategic Advising
You have specific questions and need a thought partner. We work through your biggest decisions together in focused sessions, whether that's system architecture, team structure, AI readiness, or how to build executive buy-in. Best for leaders who need clarity without a long-term engagement.
1 to 5 hours $350/hour or $1,750 for a 5-hour package
Design Systems Assessment
You need an honest look at where things stand. Through interviews, hands-on review, and proven frameworks, you get a clear diagnosis of what's working, what's not, and a strategic roadmap for what comes next. Best for teams at an inflection point.
40 hours over 1 month $18,000
Embedded Leadership
You need someone in the work with you. I operate as a player-coach, setting strategy, raising craft quality, and building your team's capability so the momentum continues after I leave. Best for organizations building or rebuilding a system and the team behind it.
3 month minimum, fractional or full-time Starting at $30,000/month
Let me know what resonates and we can find a time to talk.