As design and improvement groups develop and tasks span throughout internet, cellular, and inside instruments, retaining all the pieces constant turns into difficult. Even small adjustments, like updating a model coloration or adjusting spacing, can flip into hours of guide work throughout design recordsdata, codebases, and documentation. It’s straightforward for issues to float out of sync.
That’s the place design tokens are available. They’re a strategy to outline and reuse the important thing design selections like colours, typography, and spacing in a format that each designers and builders can use. As an alternative of repeating values manually, tokens let groups handle these selections from a central place and apply them constantly throughout instruments and platforms.
With Penpot’s new native help for design tokens, this workflow turns into extra accessible and higher built-in. Designers can now create and handle tokens instantly inside their design recordsdata. Builders can depend on those self same tokens being structured and accessible to be used in code. No plugins, no copy pasting, no mismatched types.
On this article, we’ll take a look at what design tokens are and why they matter, stroll by way of how Penpot implements them, and discover some actual world workflows and use instances. Whether or not you’re working solo or managing a big design system, tokens can assist carry order and readability to your design selections—and we’ll present you the way.
What are Design Tokens?
Design tokens are a strategy to describe the small however essential visible selections that make up your person interface. Issues like major colours, heading sizes, border radius, or spacing between parts. As an alternative of hardcoding these values in a design file or writing them instantly into code, you give each a reputation and retailer it as a token.
Every token is a small piece of structured knowledge. It has a reputation, a price, and a kind. For instance, a button background could be outlined like this:
"button-background": {
"$worth": "#005FCC",
"$sort": "coloration"
}By placing all of your selections right into a token format like this, they are often shared and reused throughout totally different tasks and instruments. Designers can use tokens contained in the design instrument, whereas builders can use them to generate CSS variables, theme recordsdata, or design system code. It’s a strategy to preserve everybody aligned, while not having to sync manually.
The thought behind tokens has been round for some time, however it’s typically exhausting to implement until you’re utilizing very particular instruments or have customized workflows in place. Penpot adjustments that by constructing token help instantly into the instrument. You don’t want additional plugins or complicated naming techniques. You outline tokens as soon as, and they’re accessible all over the place in your design.
Tokens are additionally versatile. You possibly can create easy ones like colours or font sizes, or extra complicated teams for shadows, typography, or spacing techniques. You possibly can even reference different tokens, so in case your design language evolves, you solely want to vary one factor.
Why Ought to You Care About Design Tokens?
Consistency and effectivity are two of the primary causes design tokens have gotten important in design and improvement work. They cut back the necessity for guide coordination, keep away from inconsistencies, and make it simpler to scale design selections. Right here is how they assist throughout totally different roles:
For designers
Tokens take away the necessity to repeat your self. As an alternative of manually making use of the identical coloration or spacing throughout each body, you outline these values as soon as and apply them as tokens. Which means no extra copy-pasting types or fixing inconsistencies later. All the things stays constant, and updates take seconds, not hours.
For builders
You get design values in a format that is able to use. Tokens act as a shared language between design and code, so as an alternative of pulling hex codes out of a mockup, you’re employed instantly with the identical values outlined by the design workforce. It reduces friction, avoids mismatches, and makes handoff smoother.
For groups and bigger techniques
Tokens are particularly helpful when a number of persons are engaged on the identical product or when you find yourself managing a design system throughout a number of platforms or manufacturers. They assist you to outline selections as soon as and reuse them all over the place, retaining issues in sync and straightforward to replace when the model evolves or when new platforms are added.
Watch this fast and full demo as Laura Kalbag, designer, developer and educator at Penpot, highlights the important thing advantages and primary makes use of of Penpot’s design tokens:
What Units Penpot Aside?
Penpot isn’t just including help for design tokens as a separate function. Tokens are being constructed instantly into how Penpot works. They’re a part of the core design course of, not an additional instrument it’s important to handle on the facet.
You possibly can create tokens from the canvas or from the token panel, set up them into units, and apply them to elements, types, or whole boards. You don’t want to maintain observe of the place a price is used—Penpot does that for you. Once you change a token, any element utilizing it updates routinely.
Check out this actually nice overview:
Tokens in Penpot comply with the identical format outlined by the Design Tokens Group Group, which makes them straightforward to sync with code and different instruments. They’re saved in a means that works throughout platforms, and they’re constructed to be shared, copied, or prolonged as your venture grows.
You additionally get additional capabilities like:
- Tokens that may retailer textual content, numbers, and extra
- Math operations between tokens (for instance, spacing that’s based mostly on a base worth)
- Integration with Penpot’s graph engine, so you’ll be able to outline logic and situations round your tokens
Which means you are able to do extra than simply retailer values—you’ll be able to create techniques that adapt based mostly on context or scale together with your product.
Key options
Design tokens in Penpot are constructed to be sensible and versatile from the beginning. Whether or not you’re establishing a easy model information or constructing a full design system, these options enable you keep constant with out additional effort.
- Native to the platform
Tokens are a core a part of Penpot. You don’t want plugins, workarounds, or naming methods to make them work. You possibly can create, edit, and apply them instantly in your recordsdata. - Primarily based on open requirements
Penpot follows the format outlined by the Design Tokens Group Group (W3C), which suggests your tokens are transportable and prepared for integration with different instruments or codebases. - Part conscious
You possibly can examine which tokens are utilized to elements proper on the canvas, and duplicate them out to be used in code or documentation. - Helps a number of sorts
Tokens can characterize strings, numbers, colours, font households, shadows, and extra. This implies you aren’t restricted to visible values—you can even handle logic-based or structural selections. - Math help
Outline tokens in relation to others. For instance, you’ll be able to set a spacing token to be twice your base unit, and it’ll replace routinely when the bottom adjustments. - Graph engine integration
Tokens might be a part of extra superior workflows utilizing Penpot’s visible graph engine. This opens the door for conditional styling, dynamic UI variations, and even generative design.
Sensible Use Instances
Design tokens are versatile constructing blocks that may help a variety of workflows. Listed here are a couple of methods they’re already proving helpful:
- Scaling throughout platforms
Tokens make it simpler to take care of visible consistency throughout internet, cellular, and desktop interfaces. When spacing, colours, and typography are tokenized, they adapt throughout display sizes and tech stacks with out guide rework. - Creating themes and variants
Whether or not you’re supporting mild and darkish modes, a number of manufacturers, or regional types, tokens allow you to swap out whole visible types by altering a single set of values—with out touching your elements. - Simplifying handoff and implementation
As a result of tokens are outlined in code-friendly codecs, they get rid of guesswork. Builders can use tokens as source-of-truth values, decreasing design drift and pointless back-and-forth. - Prototyping and iterating shortly
Tokens make it simpler to discover design concepts with out breaking issues. Wish to check out a brand new font scale or replace your coloration palette? Change the token values and all the pieces updates—no tedious find-and-replace wanted. - Versioning design selections
You possibly can observe adjustments to tokens over time identical to code. Which means your design system turns into simpler to take care of, doc, and evolve—with out shedding management.
Your First Tokens in Penpot
So how do you really work with tokens in Penpot?
One of the simplest ways to grasp design tokens is to strive them out. Penpot makes this surprisingly approachable, even in the event you’re new to the idea. Right here’s methods to begin creating and utilizing tokens contained in the editor.
Making a Token
- Open your venture and click on on the Tokens tab within the left panel.
- You’ll see a listing of token sorts like coloration, dimension, font measurement, and so on.
- Click on the + button subsequent to any token sort to create a brand new token.
You’ll be requested to fill in:
- Identify: One thing like
dimension.smallorcoloration.major - Worth: For instance,
8pxfor a dimension, or#005FCCfor a coloration - Description (non-obligatory): A brief word about what it’s for
Hit Save, and your token will seem within the record. Tokens are grouped by sort, so it stays tidy at the same time as your set grows.
In case you attempt to create a token with a reputation that already exists, you’ll get an error. Token names should be distinctive.
Enhancing and Duplicating Tokens
You possibly can right-click any token to edit or duplicate it.
- Edit: Change the title, worth, or description
- Duplicate: Makes a replica with
-copyadded to the title
Helpful in the event you’re exploring options or establishing variants.
Referencing Different Tokens (Aliases)
Tokens can level to different tokens. This allows you to outline a base token and reuse it throughout a number of different tokens. If the bottom worth adjustments, all the pieces that references it updates routinely.
For instance:
- Create a token known as
dimension.smallwith a price of8px - Create one other token known as
spacing.small - In
spacing.small, set the worth to{dimension.small}
Now in the event you ever replace dimension.small to 4px, the spacing token will replicate that change too.
Token references are case-sensitive, so be exact.
Utilizing Math in Tokens
Penpot helps simple arithmetic in token values—particularly helpful for dimension tokens.
You possibly can write issues like:
{dimension.base} * 216 + 4{spacing.small} + {spacing.medium}
Let’s say dimension.base is 4px, and also you need a bigger model that’s all the time double. You possibly can set dimension.massive to:
csharpCopyEdit{dimension.base} * 2
This implies in the event you ever change the bottom, the massive measurement follows alongside.
Math expressions help fundamental operators:
+addition-subtraction*multiplication
This provides a light-weight logic layer to your design selections—particularly useful for spacing scales, typography ramps, or breakpoints.
What’s Subsequent for Penpot Design Tokens?
Penpot has an thrilling roadmap for design tokens that may proceed to broaden their performance:
- GitHub Sync: A function permitting groups to simply export and import design tokens, facilitating easy collaboration between design and improvement groups.
- Gradients: An upcoming addition to design tokens, enabling designers to work with gradients as a part of their design system.
- REST API & Automation: The long run addition of a REST API will allow even deeper integrations and permit groups to automate their design workflows.
Since Penpot is open supply and works underneath a tradition of sharing as a lot as they’ll, as early as doable, you’ll be able to take a look at their open Taiga board to see what the workforce is engaged on in actual time and what’s developing subsequent.
Conclusion
Penpot’s design tokens are greater than only a instrument for managing visible consistency—they’re a game-changer for the way design and improvement groups collaborate. Whether or not you’re a junior UI designer attempting to study scalable design practices, a senior developer seeking to streamline design implementation, or an enterprise workforce managing a fancy design system, design tokens can assist carry order to complexity.
As Penpot continues to refine and broaden this function, now could be the proper time to discover the probabilities it provides.
Give it a strive!
Are you enthusiastic about Penpot’s new design token function? Test it out and discover the potential of scalable design, and keep tuned for updates. We sit up for see how you’ll begin incorporating design tokens into your workflow!
