OxyMade → BricksMade: Why Design Systems Matter More Than Ever (My Quick Take)
If you’ve built WordPress sites in the Oxygen era, you already know how much a solid design system changes the game. Not just for speed — but for consistency, client revisions, and keeping your brain from melting when you’re juggling multiple projects at once.
I recently published a full breakdown on MKS Web Design covering the shift from OxyMade to BricksMade, and what it means for modern builder workflows. This post is the “quick version” — the why, the impact, and who I think it helps the most.
The real problem design systems solve (it’s not just “pretty blocks”)
Most builders can output decent code. Most builders can create good-looking pages. The real bottleneck is repeating decisions: spacing scales, typography, button styles, section structure, layout rhythm, etc. If you’re doing that from scratch on every site, you’re wasting the one thing you can’t get back.
- Speed: you’re assembling, not inventing.
- Consistency: designs don’t drift after week 3 of revisions.
- Maintenance: updates don’t turn into a scavenger hunt.
- Client scalability: you can build multiple sites without each one becoming a one-off snowflake.
What OxyMade nailed for Oxygen users
OxyMade hit a sweet spot for Oxygen Builder: utility-first structure + reusable blocks + predictable styling. It took the guesswork out of common patterns and helped keep sites feeling cohesive, even when timelines were tight.
And once you work that way, it’s hard to go back. Like… painfully hard.
Why BricksMade is showing up at the perfect time
BricksMade feels like a logical continuation of that OxyMade mindset, but built for Bricks Builder workflows. You’re not just importing “templates” — you’re adopting a system that supports repeatable builds and component-driven thinking.
In my view, this is what makes BricksMade interesting: it aligns with how Bricks is actually being used by power users right now (classes, global styles, components, utility frameworks). It’s not trying to reinvent the builder… it’s filling the missing piece.
Who this is best for
- Former Oxygen users who miss the structure of OxyMade.
- Bricks developers who want to standardize builds across clients.
- Freelancers/agencies who care about margins, not just aesthetics.
- Anyone tired of rebuilding the same hero section for the 97th time.
When the system is solid, the creative decisions become easier. And your workflow gets way less fragile.
– Anthony Richter
Want the deeper comparison?
I go into more detail (including the practical differences and how the systems map conceptually) in the full post on MKS Web Design: From OxyMade to BricksMade: The Evolution of WordPress Design Systems
