Designilo

Introduction: Welcome to the Future of Scalable Design

In 2023, Figma introduced Variables, and it changed everything. No longer do you have to manage separate color styles, spacing tokens, or themes by hand. Variables let you create reusable tokens, define multiple modes (like light and dark themes), and even control properties dynamically inside components.

If you’ve worked with design tokens before, this will feel like coming home. If you haven’t—get ready to level up your design system.

This guide walks you through what Figma Variables are, how to use them effectively, and some power tricks to take your UI workflow to the next level.

What Are Variables in Figma?

Variables in Figma allow you to store reusable values for:

• Colors
• Numbers (spacing, sizing, border radius, etc.)
• Strings (labels, icons, text)
• Booleans (true/false for visibility or states)

You can assign variables to properties like fill color, text, padding, and more. They help ensure consistency and enable easier updates across a design system.

Why Use Variables?

• Centralized control: Change one variable, update your entire system
• Theming: Easily switch between Light, Dark, High Contrast, etc.
• Design tokens: Built-in support for scalable design systems
• Prototyping logic: Use booleans or strings to simulate real app behavior
• Developer alignment: Mimics the structure of code tokens

Step 1: Creating Your First Variable Collection

1. In any Figma file, go to Assets → Variables
2. Click Create Collection
3. Name it something like Core Tokens or Theme Variables
4. Choose the variable type (Color, Number, String, Boolean)

Now you have a home for reusable values.

Step 2: Defining Color Variables

1. Create a new Color Variable named Color / Primary / Base
2. Assign a HEX value like #3B82F6
3. Repeat for secondary, neutral, background, and error colors
4. Group them using slashes for neat categorization

🎯 Pro Tip: Use Figma’s Styles → Variables sync to connect legacy color styles to your new variables.

Step 3: Using Variables in Your Design

Once created, you can assign variables directly:

• Select an object → Fill → Use Variable
• Apply Number variables to:
  • Padding
  • Spacing between Auto Layout items
  • Corner radius or stroke width
• Use String variables for:
  • Button labels
  • Icon names
• Use Booleans for:
  • Visibility of icons, labels, helper text

✅ Every variable can be reused across components and layouts.

Step 4: Creating and Using Modes (Light, Dark, etc.)

Modes are where Variables truly shine.

1. In your collection, click “+ Add Mode”
2. Name the first mode Light
3. Add another mode: Dark
4. For each variable, define a different value per mode:
   • Color / Background / Surface
     • Light: #FFFFFF
     • Dark: #121212
5. In your design, switch the active mode in the toolbar

You can now preview your UI in multiple themes—no duplicating frames!

Step 5: Variable Scopes and Usage

Variables can be applied to:

• Fill and stroke
• Text
• Layout (padding, gap, etc.)
• Visibility logic
• Variants (via variable binding)

You can also use scoping to limit variables to specific components or modes.

Advanced Tricks with Variables

🧠 Bind Variables to Components

Use the “Bind to Variable” feature in Variant properties or component fields to dynamically control:

• Button labels (e.g., “Buy Now” vs. “Sold Out”)
• State toggles (on/off, true/false)
• Icons, colors, and more

🌀 Variable-Driven Prototyping

Use string or boolean variables in prototypes to simulate:

• Logged in / Logged out states
• Light vs Dark themes
• Toggle switches and dropdown states

It’s like logic without the code.

⚡ Bulk Apply Variables

Use the Variable Panel to find and replace hardcoded values (like HEX colors or px sizes) with tokens across your file.

When Not to Use Variables

• If your design is very small or a one-off (variables can add complexity)
• If the values change frequently during early exploration
• If you’re not using shared libraries or collaborating at scale

Otherwise—use them liberally!

Tips for Managing Variables

Tip	Why It Helps
Group with slashes (Color / Primary / Base)	Makes browsing and sorting easier
Use clear names	Avoid “Blue 1” or “Grayish Thing”
Match dev tokens	Syncs design & code naming systems
Document in your system	Add a Figma page for how variables work

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Conclusion: Variables = Design Superpowers

Figma Variables bring design systems closer to code—and give you real control over themes, tokens, and dynamic states. Once you master them, you’ll wonder how you ever managed without them.

In the next article, we’ll dive into Advanced Prototyping in Figma: Interactive Flows That Feel Real, where variables meet interaction to create deeply dynamic design demos.