design-systems

name

design-systems

description

Build and maintain scalable design systems: design tokens, component libraries, naming conventions, governance, and design-to-code pipelines. Covers Figma variables, token architecture, atomic design, component APIs, versioning, and team workflows. Use when creating a design system, scaling an existing one, or establishing design-engineering alignment. Triggers on: "design system", "design tokens", "component library", "token naming", "Figma variables", "atomic design", "design ops", "design-to-code".

Design Systems

A design system is a single source of truth for design and engineering — tokens, components, patterns, and governance that keep products consistent at scale.

Design Tokens

The atomic values that feed every component. The single source of truth.

Token Tiers (3-Layer Model)

Tier	Purpose	Examples
Primitive	Raw values, no semantic meaning	#0066CC, 16px, 0.25rem
Semantic	Meaning-based, context-aware	color-action-primary, spacing-section-md
Component	Component-specific assignments	button-bg-primary, input-border-focus

Token Categories

• Color — brand, neutral, semantic (success/warning/error), alpha
• Spacing — inset, stack, inline, spacing scale
• Typography — font family, size, weight, line height, letter spacing
• Elevation — shadow, z-index, overlay opacity
• Border — radius, width, style
• Motion — duration, easing curve
• Breakpoint — responsive width thresholds

Naming Convention

Use consistent, predictable naming. Two popular approaches:

Category/Property/Variant (recommended)

color/background/primary
color/background/primary-hover
spacing/inset/md
typography/font-size/body

Dot-notation (code-friendly)

color.bg.primary
color.bg.primaryHover
spacing.inset.md

Token Governance

• Assign token owners — each category has a responsible person
• Version tokens — use semantic versioning (breaking.addition.fix)
• Document decisions — every token needs a rationale
• Audit quarterly — retire unused tokens, resolve duplicates
• Never hardcode — everything consumed by components must be a token

Component Architecture

Atomic Design Hierarchy

Level	Description	Example
Atoms	Indivisible building blocks	Button, Input, Label, Icon
Molecules	Simple component groups	Search bar (input + button), Form field (label + input + error)
Organisms	Complex, distinct sections	Header, Card, Navigation bar
Templates	Page-level layouts without content	Product page template, Dashboard template
Pages	Templates populated with real content	Actual product page with real data

Component API Design

Every component needs a clear, documented API:

interface ButtonProps {
  variant: 'primary' | 'secondary' | 'tertiary' | 'danger';
  size: 'sm' | 'md' | 'lg';
  isDisabled?: boolean;
  isLoading?: boolean;
  onPress: () => void;
  children: ReactNode;
  icon?: IconName;        // optional icon
  iconPosition?: 'start' | 'end';
}

Component Checklist

• All states defined: default, hover, active, focus, disabled, loading
• Accessibility: keyboard operable, screen reader labels, focus visible
• Responsive behavior documented
• Dark mode variants specified
• Usage guidelines written
• Do/don't examples provided
• Edge cases handled (empty, error, overflow)

Figma-to-Code Pipeline

Modern Workflow (2025)

1. Design in Figma using variables and components
2. Variables sync to Token Studio or Figma REST API
3. Tokens export as JSON via Style Dictionary or Tokens Studio
4. JSON transforms to code (CSS variables, JS constants, Swift, Android XML)
5. Components built in code consuming the same tokens
6. Storybook documents components with live examples

Tools

Tool	Purpose
Token Studio	Token management in Figma
Style Dictionary	Transform tokens to any platform
Code Connect	Link Figma components to code
Storybook	Component documentation
Chromatic	Visual regression testing

Governance Model

Roles

Role	Responsibility
Design System Lead	Strategy, roadmap, stakeholder alignment
Token Owner	Maintains token category, reviews changes
Component Owner	Maintains component, ensures quality
DesignOps	Process, tooling, adoption metrics

Contribution Model

Three approaches, pick one based on team size:

1. Centralized — dedicated team maintains everything (enterprise)
2. Federated — contributions from product teams, reviewed by core team (mid-size)
3. Open source — anyone can contribute, PR review process (small/startups)

Change Process

1. Proposal submitted (RFC or ticket)
2. Reviewed by component/token owner
3. Designed and documented
4. Implemented in code
5. Communicated to consumers (changelog, migration guide)
6. Deprecated old version with timeline

Anti-Patterns

• One-off overrides — teams bypassing tokens for "just this one case"
• Undocumented components — built but not in the system
• Breaking changes without migration — updating without guidance
• Design without code parity — Figma looks different from production
• Too many variants — component with 50+ variants is unmaintainable

Related Skills

• For visual design fundamentals → use ui-visual-design
• For dark mode specifics → use dark-mode-design
• For accessibility in systems → use a11y-accessibility-design