Design Tokens & Theming System
Comprehensive design token system providing the foundational styling architecture for all component skills, enabling brand customization, theme switching, RTL support, and consistent visual design.
Overview
Design tokens are the single source of truth for all visual design decisions. This skill provides:
- Complete Token Taxonomy: 7 core categories (color, typography, spacing, borders, shadows, motion, z-index)
- Theme Switching: Light/dark mode, high-contrast, custom brand themes
- RTL/i18n Support: CSS logical properties for automatic right-to-left language support
- Multi-Platform Export: CSS variables, SCSS, iOS Swift, Android XML, JavaScript
- Component Integration: Skill chaining architecture for consistent styling across all components
Critical Architectural Principle:
Component Skills (Behavior + Structure) → Use tokens for ALL visual styling
Design Tokens (Styling Variables) → Define colors, spacing, typography
Theme Files (Token Overrides) → Light, dark, brand-specific valuesQuick Start
Using Tokens in Components
Step 1: Reference tokens in your component:
.button {
background-color: var(--button-bg-primary);
color: var(--button-text-primary);
padding-inline: var(--button-padding-inline);
padding-block: var(--button-padding-block);
border-radius: var(--button-border-radius);
transition: var(--transition-fast);
}Step 2: Themes automatically apply:
<!-- Light theme -->
<html data-theme="light">
<button class="button">Primary Button</button>
</html>
<!-- Dark theme (same component, different appearance) -->
<html data-theme="dark">
<button class="button">Primary Button</button>
</html>No code changes needed - theme switching is automatic!
Basic Theme Switching
function setTheme(themeName) {
document.documentElement.setAttribute('data-theme', themeName);
localStorage.setItem('theme', themeName);
}
function toggleTheme() {
const current = document.documentElement.getAttribute('data-theme');
setTheme(current === 'dark' ? 'light' : 'dark');
}
// Load saved theme on page load
setTheme(localStorage.getItem('theme') || 'light');Token Taxonomy (7 Core Categories)
1. Color Tokens
3-tier hierarchy: Primitive → Semantic → Component
/* Primitive (9-shade scales) */
--color-blue-500: #3B82F6;
/* Semantic (purpose-based) */
--color-primary: var(--color-blue-500);
--color-success: var(--color-green-500);
--color-error: var(--color-red-500);
/* Component-specific */
--button-bg-primary: var(--color-primary);Complete color system: See references/color-system.md
2. Spacing Tokens
4px base scale:
--space-1: 4px; --space-2: 8px; --space-4: 16px;
--space-6: 24px; --space-8: 32px; --space-12: 48px;
/* Semantic */
--spacing-sm: var(--space-2); /* 8px */
--spacing-md: var(--space-4); /* 16px */
--spacing-lg: var(--space-6); /* 24px */3. Typography Tokens
--font-sans: 'Inter', -apple-system, sans-serif;
--font-mono: 'Fira Code', monospace;
--font-size-sm: 14px;
--font-size-base: 16px;
--font-size-lg: 18px;
--font-weight-normal: 400;
--font-weight-semibold: 600;
--font-weight-bold: 700;4. Border & Radius Tokens
--border-width-thin: 1px;
--border-width-medium: 2px;
--radius-sm: 4px;
--radius-md: 8px;
--radius-lg: 12px;
--radius-full: 9999px;5. Shadow Tokens
--shadow-sm: 0 2px 4px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.07);
--shadow-md: 0 4px 8px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1);
--shadow-lg: 0 8px 16px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.12);
--shadow-focus-primary: 0 0 0 3px rgba(59, 130, 246, 0.3);6. Motion Tokens
--duration-fast: 150ms;
--duration-normal: 200ms;
--ease-out: cubic-bezier(0, 0, 0.2, 1);
--transition-fast: all var(--duration-fast) var(--ease-out);Reduced motion support:
@media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) {
:root { --transition-fast: none; }
}7. Z-Index Tokens
--z-dropdown: 1000;
--z-modal-backdrop: 1040;
--z-modal: 1050;
--z-tooltip: 1070;Theme Architecture
Light/Dark Themes
/* themes/light.css */
:root {
--color-primary: #3B82F6;
--color-background: #FFFFFF;
--color-text-primary: #1F2937;
}
/* themes/dark.css */
:root[data-theme="dark"] {
--color-primary: #60A5FA;
--color-background: #111827;
--color-text-primary: #F9FAFB;
}Custom Brand Theme
:root[data-theme="my-brand"] {
--color-primary: #FF6B35;
--font-sans: 'Poppins', sans-serif;
--radius-md: 12px;
}Complete theme guide: See references/theme-switching.md
CSS Logical Properties (RTL Support)
Use logical properties for automatic RTL language support:
| Physical (Avoid) | Logical (Use) |
|---|---|
margin-left | margin-inline-start |
padding-right | padding-inline-end |
text-align: left | text-align: start |
/* Correct - auto-flips in RTL */
.button {
padding-inline: var(--button-padding-inline);
margin-inline-start: var(--spacing-sm);
}Complete RTL guide: See references/logical-properties.md
Component Integration
All component skills use this naming convention:
--{component}-{property}-{variant?}-{state?}Examples:
--button-bg-primary
--button-bg-primary-hover
--input-border-color-focus
--chart-color-1Components use tokens for ALL styling:
.button {
background-color: var(--button-bg-primary);
border-radius: var(--button-border-radius);
}Theme changes automatically update all components.
Complete integration guide: See references/component-integration.md
Accessibility
WCAG 2.1 AA Compliance
- Normal text: 4.5:1 contrast minimum
- Large text (18px+): 3:1 minimum
- UI components: 3:1 minimum
High-Contrast Theme
:root[data-theme="high-contrast"] {
--color-primary: #0000FF;
--color-text-primary: #000000;
/* 7:1 contrast (WCAG AAA) */
}Reduced Motion
@media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) {
:root {
--duration-fast: 0ms;
--transition-fast: none;
}
}Complete accessibility guide: See references/accessibility-tokens.md
Platform Exports (Style Dictionary)
Transform tokens to any platform:
JSON Tokens → Style Dictionary → CSS Variables
→ iOS Swift
→ Android XML
→ JavaScriptnpm run build-tokensComplete setup guide: See references/style-dictionary-setup.md
W3C Token Format
{
"color": {
"primary": {
"$value": "#3B82F6",
"$type": "color"
}
}
}Scripts
# Generate color scale from base color
python scripts/generate_color_scale.py --base "#3B82F6"
# Validate token structure
python scripts/validate_tokens.py
# Check WCAG contrast ratios
python scripts/validate_contrast.py
# Build all platforms
npm run build-tokensReferences
Core Systems:
references/color-system.md- Complete color scales and semanticsreferences/typography-system.md- Type scales and fontsreferences/spacing-system.md- Spacing scale and rhythm
Implementation:
references/theme-switching.md- Light/dark mode, custom themesreferences/component-integration.md- How skills use tokensreferences/logical-properties.md- RTL support patterns
Tools & Accessibility:
references/style-dictionary-setup.md- Multi-platform buildreferences/accessibility-tokens.md- WCAG compliance
Key Takeaways
- Design tokens are the foundation - All visual styling flows from tokens
- 3-level hierarchy - Primitive → Semantic → Component tokens
- 7 core categories - Color, spacing, typography, borders, shadows, motion, z-index
- Theme switching built-in - Light, dark, high-contrast, custom brands
- RTL support automatic - CSS logical properties enable right-to-left languages
- Accessibility first - WCAG compliance, reduced motion, high contrast
- Referenced by all skills - Every component skill uses design tokens
Progressive disclosure: This SKILL.md provides overview and quick start. Detailed documentation in references/ directory.
Skill chaining architecture: See SKILL_CHAINING_ARCHITECTURE.md