What are design tokens?
Design tokens are named values that store visual design decisions. Colors, spacing, typography — as structured data your code can consume directly.
Definition
Design tokens are platform-agnostic, named values that represent visual design decisions. They store colors, typography, spacing, and other design attributes as structured data (usually JSON) that can be transformed into any format.
How it works
Instead of hardcoding `#6366F1` throughout your codebase, you define a token called `color.primary.500` with that value. Your build system transforms tokens into Tailwind config, CSS variables, iOS colors, or any other format. Change the token once, and every platform updates. The W3C Design Tokens specification (now mature) standardizes the JSON format so tools can interoperate.
Why it matters
Design tokens are the bridge between design and code. They eliminate the manual translation step where developers eyeball a Figma file and guess hex values. With tokens, the design system is literally the code. AI coding tools like Cursor can also reference tokens to generate on-brand components automatically.
Example
{
"color": {
"primary": {
"500": { "$value": "#6366F1", "$type": "color" }
}
},
"font": {
"heading": { "$value": "Inter", "$type": "fontFamily" }
}
}
Related terms
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