When it comes to design systems and styleguides, it is important to strike a balance between consistency and flexibility. On one hand, consistency is important in order to maintain a consistent look and feel across different products and platforms. On the other hand, flexibility is important in order to allow designers to be creative and to adapt to different contexts and use cases.
In terms of specific rules such as the ones you mentioned, it is important to consider the reasoning behind them. Are they in place to ensure consistency and maintain a cohesive look and feel, or are they overly restrictive and limiting for designers?
One approach to consider is to have guidelines rather than strict rules. These guidelines can provide general direction for designers, but also allow room for interpretation and creativity. For example, instead of saying "a card's border is always 16px from the left," you could say "a card's border should be visually balanced and separated from the content."
Another approach is to have a set of core principles that guide the design system, and use them as a basis for decision making. These principles can be used to evaluate any new rules or changes to the design system, and ensure that they align with the overall vision and goals of the design system.
It's also important to consider the different use cases that the design system is applied to, and ensure that the rules and guidelines are flexible enough to adapt to different contexts and applications.
Finally, it's important to have an open communication with the designers and to gather their feedback on the design system. This can help identify any issues or concerns that they may have, and find ways to address them.
In summary, it's important to strike a balance between consistency and flexibility when it comes to design systems and styleguides. Having guidelines rather than strict rules, having core principles, considering different use cases and having open communication with designers can help to ensure that the design system is effective and efficient while still being flexible enough to adapt to different contexts and allow designers to be creative.