In the age of design systems and scalable UI, it’s no longer enough to “just design” a button or a card. The best design systems today are built on tokens—small, reusable variables that define your system’s foundations. And when you start building components with tokens in mind from day one, you unlock an entirely different level of flexibility, consistency, and speed.
Welcome to Token-First Design—a mindset and methodology that puts variables at the core of your components.
🎯 What Is Token-First Design?
Token-first design means you start building a component by defining the tokens it should use:
- Colors → Use color variables like
--color-primaryor--text-secondary - Spacing → Use spacing tokens like
--space-xsor--padding-lg - Typography → Use font-size, line-height, and weight tokens
- Radii → Use border-radius tokens like
--radius-md
Instead of hardcoding styles or manually adjusting properties, everything flows from tokens. Your component becomes themeable by default.
🧠 Why Start with Tokens?
Let’s break down the key benefits of token-first design:
✅ 1. Instant Theming
Change a single token value, and every component updates. Want to switch to dark mode or rebrand? No problem.
✅ 2. System Consistency
Designers stay on-brand, developers stay sane. Tokens act as a contract between design and code.
✅ 3. Smaller, Smarter Files
No need to create multiple variants for light/dark or brand changes. Tokens do the heavy lifting.
✅ 4. Developer Alignment
Tokens map directly to CSS variables or design tokens in code—making handoff cleaner and reducing QA issues.
🧪 Example: Building a Token-Based Button
Let’s say you’re designing a Primary Button. You might be tempted to:
- Pick a color from the picker
- Add some spacing manually
- Set font size by eye
Instead, try this:
Step 1: Define Your Tokens
--btn-bg-primary--btn-text-primary--btn-padding--btn-radius
Step 2: Apply Tokens in Styles
In Figma’s Variables panel:
- Set background color to
--btn-bg-primary - Set padding to
--btn-padding - Set corner radius to
--btn-radius
Now, your button isn’t just a visual element—it’s a tokenized system object.
🛠 Token-First Component Checklist
| What to Tokenize | Example Tokens |
|---|---|
| Color | --primary, --neutral-700 |
| Typography | --font-body-md, --line-height-sm |
| Spacing | --gap-sm, --padding-xl |
| Border Radius | --radius-lg |
| Shadows | --shadow-sm, --elevation-2 |
Bonus: Create semantic tokens like --input-bg or --alert-error for even more clarity.
🧭 How to Start Working Token-First in Figma
- Create a Token Library
Use the Variables panel to set up foundational and semantic tokens. - Component First Draft
Sketch a basic layout with auto layout—but don’t finalize anything. - Apply Tokens
Replace all manual values with tokens. Use padding tokens instead of manual numbers. - Use Modes for Themes
Set up light/dark or brand tokens using Variable Modes for instant swaps. - Test Overrides
Make sure developers can override token values for flexibility when needed.
📐 Real-World Use Cases
- Multi-brand systems: Swap colors or fonts with a single mode switch
- Design QA: Ensure consistent spacing and visual rhythm
- Accessibility: Adjust contrast tokens without redesigning components
- Marketing vs Product UIs: Change token sets per channel or campaign
❗ Watch Out For
- Token overload: Don’t go overboard—start simple and expand gradually
- Hardcoded overrides: Avoid changing tokenized values with manual edits
- Undocumented logic: Keep a reference or naming system for tokens
🔁 Token-First Thinking Is System Thinking
It may seem abstract at first—but starting your components with tokens:
- Future-proofs your designs
- Cuts down on rework
- Bridges the gap between design and engineering
And once you get the hang of it, it’s actually faster than traditional design.
Remember:
A well-tokenized component is like a well-coded function—reusable, predictable, and easy to adapt.
➡️ Next up: “The Anatomy of a Responsive Component: Layout Grids, Constraints, and Auto Layout”
Designilo 