Design Tokens
Standardized design variables storing visual properties like colors, typography, and spacing for consistent cross-platform application.
Definition
Design tokens are platform-agnostic variables that store design decisions such as color values, font sizes, spacing measurements, and animation durations in a structured format. These tokens serve as the single source of truth for visual design across all digital products.
Tokens translate seamlessly between design tools, web applications, mobile apps, and other platforms, ensuring identical visual appearance regardless of implementation technology. They enable systematic design changes that propagate across entire product ecosystems.
Why It Matters
Design tokens eliminate inconsistencies that erode brand trust and user confidence. Organizations using token systems reduce design-to-development handoff time by 60% while ensuring perfect visual consistency across all customer touchpoints.
When rebranding or updating visual identity, design tokens enable instant updates across hundreds of interfaces simultaneously, reducing implementation costs from months to days while eliminating human error in manual updates.
Examples in Practice
Salesforce's Lightning Design System uses tokens to maintain consistent styling across their CRM, marketing automation, and analytics products, ensuring seamless user experiences.
Adobe's Spectrum design system employs tokens to synchronize appearance between Creative Cloud desktop applications, web interfaces, and mobile apps across their entire software portfolio.
Spotify uses design tokens to maintain visual consistency between their web player, mobile apps, desktop application, and smart speaker interfaces while supporting both light and dark themes.