Part of my day job is documentation of UX patterns. I’ve found over the years that it works best to start with observation and documentation of things as they are, and as they are being used, before making proposals about improved patterns. New patterns should have multiple use cases before being introduced.
This attitude of learning from observation and use, and minimally interfering, keeps the standards process from becoming an impediment to design innovation.
An overconstrained and prescriptive design system can be a very brittle one. As soon as a designer feels their needs fall outside the system, the entire system is called into question. Often, documenting a system of design patterns becomes a koan in resilience through flexibility.
So, I’d recommend taking a long hard look at the grid’s greatest hits: earthsea, kria, meadowphysics, mlr, and see what you see in common between them. Start with documenting the patterns you see there, and see where it gets you.
Resist the temptation at first to recommend proposals for improvements, or lateral approaches that introduce entirely novel patterns. Wait until you can clearly articulate the material difference between old and new, with pros and cons and rationale for usage of this for that, and that for this.
And sometimes the answer will be both/and: more patterns than any one app is likely to use, because there is plenty of room for many apps in the world.
