Ben Callahan
Design System Consultant | Founder of Sparkbox | Speaker | Author | Coach to Design System TeamsBen Callahan is a leading voice in the design systems space. As the Founder of Sparkbox, he’s spent over a decade helping internal teams uncover and deliver the true value of design systems—beyond components, toward collaboration, alignment, and scalable impact.
With a background that spans computer science, frontend development, animation, and audio engineering, Ben brings a multidisciplinary lens to systems thinking. Today, he focuses on mentoring design system teams, coaching leaders, and conducting deep research into how systems are actually used in the wild.
Ben’s talks are known for being thoughtful, grounded, and people-centered. He believes design systems succeed not just through structure, but through the relationships and trust they help foster within organizations.
When he’s not collaborating with clients or sharing insights on stage, Ben can be found enjoying life in the Midwest with his partner and two incredible kids—usually cooking, writing poetry, or hunting down a great cup of coffee.