SDG.design — Design systems for the world's hardest problems.

→ The Problem

AI can generate interfaces, but it lacks context.

Prompt an AI to build a water access app and it will generate something competent. But it won't know about field workers with wet hands, direct sunlight, intermittent connectivity, or the realities of operating in remote environments. Domain knowledge cannot be inferred from a prompt alone.

→ The Solution

SDG.design is an open-source library of DESIGN.md systems built around the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Each kit combines design tokens with domain-specific guidance, turning DESIGN.md into a carrier for context, not just aesthetics. Paste a kit into Stitch and generate a product that starts from a more informed foundation.

→ The Process

The project started as a simpler idea: generating SDG products with AI.

The real insight came from Stitch's DESIGN.md format. The challenge wasn't generation, it was context.

Early kits focused heavily on tokens and visual systems, but the outputs remained generic. The breakthrough came from encoding domain knowledge directly into structured sections that Stitch could read and act on.

Once those sections were introduced, the outputs became noticeably more intentional and relevant to their domain.

→ Stitch in My Workflow

Stitch was both the creation environment and the validation loop.

Each kit was continuously tested through generation. If the output still felt generic, the DESIGN.md needed improvement.

The entire SDG.design website was built in Stitch, using a DESIGN.md file as the starting point. I used streaming generation, Variations to explore layouts, in-place edits and annotations, interactive accordions, Model 3.1 Pro for refinement, accessibility checks, instant prototyping, and Netlify export for deployment.

→ Feedback on Stitch

DESIGN.md feels like the missing layer between intent and generation.

Clear structure and explicit guidance consistently produced better results than generic prompts. The speed of iteration made it possible to create multiple SDG kits, a browsable website, and a public repository within the challenge timeframe.

Site → https://sdgdesign.netlify.app/ Stitch File → https://stitch.withgoogle.com/projects/11416386778264294482 Github → https://github.com/tiago-varandas/sdg-design

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