Recap of Redwoods at Config, 2026
Ahead of Config, we knew that a lot of our members would already be out in SF for Figma's big event. Many of us had attended in the past, but we hadn't really made an effort to connect while previously there.
This year, we decided to change that!
The backdrop
With the support of three sponsors: Southleft, Sparkbox, and the AI & Design Systems Course, we were able to rent two large buses and take over 50 design system nerds out to Muir Woods. On our way back to town, we stopped to hang out and have some drinks. It was a fantastic start to Config.
It’s been a few months now, and we’ve asked some of the members who joined us to share a bit about what the event was like for them.
Stories
“Redwoods and friends spent a day hiking in Muir woods together before Config, and the whole thing was magical in a way that typical conference connections rarely are. There’s something about being outside, among massive trees, that strips away the usual performance of networking. People get to be real with each other, and connect genuinely.”
“What first drew me into Redwoods was actually a chance to get into the woods and snag another stamp in my National Parks & Monuments Passport booklet. But I quickly gained so much more. I got to connect with DS people from publishing, discovering they’ve faced similar challenges I currently face myself. I am a designer who is responsible for building our baseline site system from the ground up and I’m the only team member well educated in this space. It’s been lonely at times, and since I’ve become a member of Redwoods, it’s been so nice connecting and talking with people who know exactly what I am experiencing.”
“This year was my first time attending Config, and I was lucky enough to do so with the Redwoods group. I’m still early in my design systems journey, and I half expected to feel like an outsider among people who’ve been doing this for years. Instead, I was never once made to feel like a poser. Everyone made space for my questions and my perspective, no matter how green it was. Attending with Redwoods didn’t just make the conference more fun. It made it more useful, because the best insights came from people, not presentations.”
“Even knowing Redwoods folks would be there, I wasn’t prepared for how much that would change the experience. Every day I was able to find people to hang out with, people to sit with at the best talks like ‘Design Systems Anarchy’ by Redwoods’ own Lauren LoPrete, and grab a bite or some drinks with fellow design systems nerds. Redwoods made all the difference. Not just in having a good conference, but in feeling like I belonged somewhere.”
“Not only was Config 2026 wonderful, but it was fun to meet all the people that I have seen on The Question, systems calls and brainstorming sessions in real life. The whole gang was very receptive, everyone was eager to chat and especially at Config, taking in an easy morning at a San Francisco coffee shop before all the over-stimulating conference shenanigans was a great start to that day!”
“I wasn’t able to make the hike itself, but the Beer Garden happy hour after was one of my favorite parts of Config. I got to catch up in person with people I’d only known through the Redwoods Slack and various design systems community groups, some I hadn’t seen in a while, some I was meeting face-to-face for the first time. There’s something different about nerding out on design systems in person versus over Slack threads.”
“Redwoods is unlike any other design community I’ve been a member of. Even though everyone is distributed across the world, from day 1 it has felt like a group of close friends who are on the same design systems and now AI journey together. During Config 2026, it was such a treat meeting so many members in person. Dinners, drinks, even hiking in the woods.”
“Design Systems work can feel like an energizing niche or an isolating mess of entanglements depending on several factors, but a big one is about the people that surround you. Two years ago I went to Config without this community but my experience felt closer to that isolating mess. I connected with people, but without shared values or skillsets it stayed surface level and even felt a little lonely. Having the Redwoods crew to connect with meant I got to talk systems, life, leadership, and compare notes on the conference with people who think like me and do the work I do.”
“Communities of craft are essential to our growth as professionals and individuals. The Redwoods community brings meaning to my work and research. It’s always a ton of fun to meet in person (on purpose or randomly on the other side of the country!)”
“It was so much fun to visit Muir Woods with the Redwoods crew. Can’t wait for next year…”