Design Token
A named reusable design value for a choice such as color spacing typography border radius or shadow.
Plain English
Give recurring design decisions stable names that designers and engineers can use consistently.
In context
Design tokens translate product styling decisions into shared references that can be maintained across design files component code platforms and themes.
Example
“Use the spacing-large design token instead of entering a one-off gap value.”
When you'll hear this
- design systems
- frontend implementation
- theming
Common misunderstanding
A design token represents a reusable decision rather than every raw visual value and naming tokens alone does not guarantee a consistent interface.
Also known as
design system tokenUI tokenstyle token
Commonly used by
Related terms
Updated: 2026-08-28
