Design System Manager & AI: Interview with Philippe Elovenko

Each individual's background fosters a different way of thinking about and practicing design. This series of interviews celebrates the diversity of profiles, expertise, and experiences within UX-Republic.

In this sixth episode, discover the portrait of Philippe ElovenkoDesign system manager at UX-Republic. With more than 10 years of experience in design After four years on assignment with Arval (BNP Paribas), Philippe is at the heart of technological transformations. Passionate and visionary, he shares his transition to a AI-enhanced design, new collaborative working methods and his vision of a profession undergoing rapid change.

From video editing to the creation of digital products

Paul: Can you introduce yourself and tell us what led you to design?

Philip: I am Philippe Elovenko. Design System Manager in UX-RepublicI have a Master's degree in Multimedia Managementwhich brought me a dual expertise in IT project management and DesignBefore joining the agency four years ago, I was a freelance trainer and then first in-house designer at ADP groupwhere I notably structured their Design System.

Initially, I had a two-year technical degree in computer maintenance. It was while editing videos for social media content that I started using the Adobe suite and developed a taste for creation. A friend who was pursuing a career in design introduced me to this field, and I fell in love with the creative aspect of the profession . Today, I focus on creating products to ensure that an interface perfectly meets users' needs.

Paul: What is your current role with clients?

Philippe: I've been working at Arval , a subsidiary of BNP Paribas , for four years now . Initially, I was recruited to create and maintain their Design System , while also supporting project managers on business applications. My role involved translating complex business rules into user-friendly graphical interfaces for the development team. For the past few months, my role has taken a major turn: I'm now 100% dedicated to integrating AI into the design processes.

AI and Low-Code: The Emergence of Augmented Squads

Paul: In concrete terms, how does AI transform the way design is done?

Philippe: We are automating the Design System with AI and Low-Code to empower designers . This is what I illustrated last May at Ecole 42 Paris during my conference at UX Reboot 2026 : the Design System is no longer a simple catalog of components , it becomes the engine that powers the AI to generate our mockups and marketing visuals.

The approach to work has completely changed. A small team of two people, augmented by AI, can now develop a complete product. Not being a developer by training, I can now generate an initial codebase that will then be reviewed and refined by a technical expert . This represents a colossal gain in time and efficiency , just as it does for defining tokens or updating the components of a Design System.

Maintaining human control and avoiding the pitfall of “disposable design”

Paul: What are the pitfalls to avoid with such rapid adoption of AI?

Philippe: AI is a neutral but extremely powerful tool. If you put this tool in the hands of someone who doesn't know how to use it, you'll produce an astronomical amount of poor-quality work. If a designer generates 500 mediocre mockups in a week, you end up wasting more time redoing them than if you had worked by hand. We also need to avoid the fad of putting AI everywhere without a real need.

The real question to ask ourselves today is: what will truly remain of everything we produce? With AI, we can launch eight projects simultaneously or generate prototypes overnight. But the risk is producing disposable content . The designer's role remains fundamental in bringing human sensitivity, framing the data, maintaining a critical perspective , and ensuring that we build products that deliver real, lasting value.

The evolution of the profession: from pixel pusher to augmented designer

Paul: How do you see the future of the design profession in the coming years?

Philippe: The role has expanded considerably. When you master AI at an advanced level, you become a true augmented Swiss Army knife , capable of handling design, prototyping, coding, marketing, and project management.

We need to realize the scale of the shift that's happening: if we don't start paying attention to these tools now, in two or three years, it will be very difficult. A huge gap will open up between the traditional designer who is content to "push pixels" and the one who is capable of designing complete, automated, and personalized worlds thanks to AI.

The key skill today is curiosity and intellectual agility . AI is advancing at breakneck speed; you have to be able to quickly grasp what is useful for you, constantly test, and learn to collaborate with the machine.

A word for the community

Paul: What advice would you give to designers who are still hesitant to invest in AI?

Philippe: Get into AI before it's too late! There's no need to be afraid of it: far from hindering our creativity, AI will actually increase it and allow us to explore projects of unprecedented scale.