Creating and Managing Design Tokens in Figma

Key Concepts

• Design Tokens
• Creating Design Tokens
• Managing Design Tokens
• Using Design Tokens

Design Tokens

Design tokens are the visual design atoms of the design system, representing the basic building blocks of your design. They include values such as colors, typography, spacing, and effects. Design tokens ensure consistency across your design by allowing you to define and reuse these values throughout your project.

Creating Design Tokens

To create design tokens in Figma, follow these steps:

1. Open your Figma project and navigate to the "Assets" panel.
2. Click on the "Create Token" button to define a new design token.
3. Choose the type of token you want to create (e.g., color, text style, spacing).
4. Assign a name and value to the token. For example, you might create a color token named "Primary Color" with the value #FF5733.
5. Save the token, and it will be available for use throughout your project.

Example: If you are designing a website, you might create a color token for your brand's primary color and a text style token for your heading font.

Managing Design Tokens

Managing design tokens involves organizing and updating them as needed. To manage design tokens:

1. Open the "Assets" panel and locate the token you want to manage.
2. Edit the token's name or value as needed. For example, if your brand's primary color changes, you can update the color token.
3. Delete any tokens that are no longer needed.
4. Organize tokens into categories or groups to make them easier to find and use.

Example: If you have multiple color tokens for different states (e.g., hover, active), you can organize them into a "Color States" group for easier management.

Using Design Tokens

Using design tokens ensures consistency and efficiency in your design. To use design tokens:

1. Select the element you want to apply the token to (e.g., a text box, shape).
2. Open the "Properties" panel and choose the appropriate token from the dropdown menu.
3. The element will automatically update to reflect the token's value.

Example: If you have a button component, you can apply the "Primary Color" token to its background and the "Heading Font" token to its text, ensuring consistency across all button instances.

Examples and Analogies

Think of design tokens as the DNA of your design system. Just as DNA contains the genetic instructions for building an organism, design tokens contain the instructions for building your design. By using and managing these tokens, you ensure that your design is consistent, scalable, and easy to update.

For instance, if you were building a house, design tokens would be the blueprint that specifies the materials, colors, and dimensions to be used. Any changes to the blueprint would automatically update the entire house, ensuring consistency and efficiency.