The NCF Design System (Nick & Nora)
Designing the Data Backbone of Card Production
At Fanatics Collectibles / Topps, card production historically relied on fragmented tools, email chains, spreadsheets, and disconnected approval systems. As the organization scaled, these legacy workflows slowed production velocity and created visibility gaps across departments. As a team, we worked on the New Card Factory (NCF) - an internal product platform built to modernize and centralize the end-to-end trading card production lifecycle.
Client
Fanatics Collectibles
Services
UX Research, User Flows, Wireframes, Mockups, Prototypes
Industries
Collectibles
Date
2025
NCF Connects serves as the operational backbone connecting brand managers, account managers, designers, editors, photography teams, and operations into one unified workflow. The system integrates directly with Adobe Workfront, allowing cross-functional teams to collaborate seamlessly within their existing creative ecosystem. While the broader organization had an established B2B design system, Crushed Ice, NCF required a more data-dense, operationally focused, production-grade layer built on top of that foundation. To solve this, we created the Nick and Nora design system; a system purpose-built to streamline backend production, reduce turnaround time, and simplify the visual language for users. Nick and Nora emphasized WCAG compliance, strong contrast, recognizable UI patterns, and clear alert states to support high-volume, detail-oriented workflows. The result was a scalable system optimized for operational efficiency without compromising usability or accessibility.
The NCF Design System transformed internal card production from a fragmented workflow into a scalable operational platform — turning production into a measurable, visible, and strategically optimized system.