A Design Token is not a variable
Expert interview with Sam Gordashko, who conducted six months of research on Design Tokens and how to name them.
💡Design Tokens are not variables
Tokens are design decisions that are platform-agnostic and can be moved, transformed, or adapted across different platforms, unlike variables which are specific implementations of these tokens.
🧃Explain as if to a 5 year old:
🎨 Imagine you have a box of colorful building blocks, and these blocks can be used to build all sorts of things.
🌈 Let’s think of a token like a special magic block in your box. This magic block can change into any color or shape whenever you want. You can use it in any kind of building you’re making, like a castle, a spaceship, or even a giant robot.
🏗️ It doesn’t matter where you are building — whether on your playmat, at the park, or at a friend’s house — this magic block can become whatever you need it to be for any project.
🏰 Now, a variable is like deciding to use this magic block as a blue square in your castle. When you decide it’s a blue square, it becomes just that, and it fits right into your castle as a blue square. But if you take apart your castle and start making a spaceship, you have to decide again what you want that magic block to be in the new project.
💡So, in simple terms, the token (the magic block) has the power to be anything anywhere, while the variable is the specific form or color the block takes for a particular building project.
Resources:
Full Interview
Workshop at Into Design Systems Conference
Sam Gordashko
