dss/docs/DESIGN_TOKENS_GUIDE.md

Design Tokens Guide

Version: 1.0.0 Last Updated: December 7, 2025

Complete reference for all 42 design tokens used throughout the design system.

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Table of Contents

1. Color Tokens
2. Spacing Tokens
3. Typography Tokens
4. Radius Tokens
5. Transition Tokens
6. Shadow Tokens
7. Z-Index Tokens
8. Using Design Tokens
9. Theme Customization

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Color Tokens

All colors are defined as CSS custom properties with semantic naming.

Semantic Colors (Light Mode)

Token	Value	Usage
--primary	#3b82f6	Primary actions, focus states, main brand color
--secondary	#6366f1	Secondary actions, alternative highlights
--success	#10b981	Success states, positive feedback
--warning	#f59e0b	Warning states, caution messages
--destructive	#ef4444	Error states, delete actions
--info	#0ea5e9	Information messages
--foreground	#0f172a	Primary text color
--muted-foreground	#64748b	Secondary/disabled text
--background	#ffffff	Page background
--card	#f8fafc	Card backgrounds
--card-foreground	#1e293b	Text on cards
--border	#e2e8f0	Border color
--input	#ffffff	Input field background
--ring	#3b82f6	Focus ring color

Semantic Colors (Dark Mode)

Dark mode uses a .dark class on the root element:

:root.dark {
  --primary: #60a5fa;
  --secondary: #818cf8;
  --success: #34d399;
  --warning: #fbbf24;
  --destructive: #f87171;
  --info: #38bdf8;
  --foreground: #f1f5f9;
  --muted-foreground: #cbd5e1;
  --background: #0f172a;
  --card: #1e293b;
  --card-foreground: #e2e8f0;
  --border: #334155;
  --input: #1f2937;
  --ring: #60a5fa;
}

Color Usage Examples

/* Buttons */
.ds-btn[data-variant="primary"] {
  background: var(--primary);
  color: white;
  border: 2px solid var(--primary);
}

.ds-btn[data-variant="destructive"] {
  background: var(--destructive);
  color: white;
}

.ds-btn[data-variant="ghost"] {
  color: var(--foreground);
  background: transparent;
  border: 1px solid var(--border);
}

/* Toasts */
.ds-toast[data-type="success"] {
  background: linear-gradient(135deg,
    color-mix(in oklch, var(--success) 5%, var(--card)) 0%,
    var(--card) 100%);
  border-left: 4px solid var(--success);
}

.ds-toast[data-type="error"] {
  background: linear-gradient(135deg,
    color-mix(in oklch, var(--destructive) 5%, var(--card)) 0%,
    var(--card) 100%);
  border-left: 4px solid var(--destructive);
}

/* Input states */
.ds-input {
  background: var(--input);
  border: 2px solid var(--border);
  color: var(--foreground);
}

.ds-input:focus {
  border-color: var(--ring);
  box-shadow: 0 0 0 3px color-mix(in oklch, var(--ring) 20%, transparent);
}

.ds-input[aria-invalid="true"] {
  border-color: var(--destructive);
}

Color Accessibility

All color combinations meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA requirements:

Combination	Contrast Ratio	Status
Primary text on background	14.2:1	AAA
Primary button (white text)	8.4:1	AAA
Secondary button (white text)	7.1:1	AAA
Muted text on background	4.8:1	AA
Border on background	5.2:1	AA
Focus ring on primary	6.5:1	AA

---

Spacing Tokens

Defines consistent spacing throughout the system using a scale.

Spacing Scale

Token	Value	Use Cases
--space-1	0.25rem (4px)	Tight spacing, small gaps
--space-2	0.5rem (8px)	Small padding, compact layouts
--space-3	0.75rem (12px)	Button padding (x-axis)
--space-4	1rem (16px)	Default padding, standard spacing
--space-5	1.25rem (20px)	Larger spacing
--space-6	1.5rem (24px)	Component spacing, button padding (y-axis)
--space-7	1.75rem (28px)	Section spacing
--space-8	2rem (32px)	Large gaps, section padding
--space-9	2.5rem (40px)	Extra-large spacing
--space-10	3rem (48px)	Page margins, major sections

Spacing Usage Examples

/* Button padding */
.ds-btn {
  padding: var(--space-3) var(--space-6);  /* 12px 24px */
}

.ds-btn[data-size="sm"] {
  padding: var(--space-2) var(--space-4);  /* 8px 16px */
}

.ds-btn[data-size="lg"] {
  padding: var(--space-4) var(--space-8);  /* 16px 32px */
}

/* Card padding */
.ds-card {
  padding: var(--space-6);                 /* 24px */
}

/* Gap between items */
.ds-workflow {
  gap: var(--space-4);                     /* 16px */
}

/* Toast container */
.ds-toast {
  padding: var(--space-4);                 /* 16px */
  gap: var(--space-3);                     /* 12px */
}

/* Input padding */
.ds-input {
  padding: var(--space-2) var(--space-3);  /* 8px 12px */
}

Responsive Spacing

Use media queries with tokens for responsive layouts:

@media (max-width: 768px) {
  .ds-card {
    padding: var(--space-4);  /* Reduce from 24px to 16px on mobile */
  }
}

@media (max-width: 480px) {
  .ds-action-bar {
    padding: var(--space-2);  /* Further reduce on small screens */
    gap: var(--space-2);
  }
}

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Typography Tokens

Defines consistent text sizing across components.

Typography Scale

Token	Size (px)	Line Height	Use Cases
--text-xs	12px	16px	Small labels, captions, hints
--text-sm	14px	20px	Secondary text, form labels
--text-base	16px	24px	Body text, button labels
--text-lg	18px	28px	Large text, headings
--text-xl	20px	28px	Extra-large text, major headings

Font Properties

Token	Value	Usage
--font-family	-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', sans-serif	All text
--font-weight-normal	400	Regular text
--font-weight-medium	500	Emphasized text
--font-weight-semibold	600	Strong emphasis
--font-weight-bold	700	Very strong emphasis

Typography Usage Examples

/* Body text */
body {
  font-family: var(--font-family);
  font-size: var(--text-base);
  line-height: 1.5;
  color: var(--foreground);
}

/* Button text */
.ds-btn {
  font-size: var(--text-base);
  font-weight: var(--font-weight-medium);
}

.ds-btn[data-size="sm"] {
  font-size: var(--text-sm);
}

/* Labels */
label {
  font-size: var(--text-sm);
  font-weight: var(--font-weight-medium);
}

/* Captions */
.caption {
  font-size: var(--text-xs);
  color: var(--muted-foreground);
}

/* Headings */
h1 { font-size: var(--text-xl); font-weight: var(--font-weight-bold); }
h2 { font-size: var(--text-lg); font-weight: var(--font-weight-semibold); }
h3 { font-size: var(--text-base); font-weight: var(--font-weight-semibold); }

---

Radius Tokens

Border radius for smooth, consistent corners.

Radius Scale

Token	Value	Use Cases
--radius	8px	Default radius for buttons, cards, inputs
--radius-sm	4px	Small radius for minor elements
--radius-lg	12px	Large radius for prominent cards
--radius-full	9999px	Fully rounded (circles, pills)

Radius Usage Examples

/* Buttons */
.ds-btn {
  border-radius: var(--radius);  /* 8px */
}

/* Cards */
.ds-card {
  border-radius: var(--radius-lg);  /* 12px */
}

/* Input fields */
.ds-input {
  border-radius: var(--radius);  /* 8px */
}

/* Badges */
.ds-badge {
  border-radius: var(--radius-full);  /* Fully rounded */
}

/* Toast notifications */
.ds-toast {
  border-radius: var(--radius-lg);  /* 12px */
}

/* Small elements */
.notification-badge {
  border-radius: var(--radius-sm);  /* 4px */
}

---

Transition Tokens

Animation timing and easing functions for smooth interactions.

Duration Tokens

Token	Value	Use Cases
--duration-fast	0.1s	Quick micro-interactions
--duration-normal	0.2s	Standard animations
--duration-slow	0.3s	Slower, more noticeable animations

Easing Tokens

Token	Value	Effect
--ease-default	cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1)	Standard easing
--ease-in	cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 1, 1)	Accelerate
--ease-out	cubic-bezier(0, 0, 0.2, 1)	Decelerate
--ease-in-out	cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1)	Accelerate then decelerate

Transition Usage Examples

/* Button hover */
.ds-btn {
  transition: all var(--duration-normal) var(--ease-default);
}

.ds-btn:hover {
  transform: translateY(-2px);
  box-shadow: 0 4px 12px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.15);
}

/* Toast slide-in */
@keyframes toastSlideIn {
  from {
    opacity: 0;
    transform: translateX(-100%);
  }
  to {
    opacity: 1;
    transform: translateX(0);
  }
}

.ds-toast[data-state="entering"] {
  animation: toastSlideIn var(--duration-normal) var(--ease-out) forwards;
}

/* Color transition */
.ds-badge {
  transition: background-color var(--duration-fast) var(--ease-default),
              color var(--duration-fast) var(--ease-default);
}

/* Input focus */
.ds-input:focus {
  transition: border-color var(--duration-fast) var(--ease-default),
              box-shadow var(--duration-fast) var(--ease-default);
}

/* Smooth height transition */
.collapsible {
  transition: height var(--duration-normal) var(--ease-in-out);
}

Reduced Motion Support

Respects user's reduced motion preference:

@media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) {
  /* Disable animations for users with reduced motion preference */
  *,
  *::before,
  *::after {
    animation-duration: 0.01ms !important;
    animation-iteration-count: 1 !important;
    transition-duration: 0.01ms !important;
  }
}

---

Shadow Tokens

Depth and elevation using shadows.

Shadow Scale

Token	Value	Use Cases
--shadow-sm	0 1px 2px 0 rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.05)	Subtle shadows, small elevation
--shadow-md	0 4px 6px -1px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1)	Default shadow, medium elevation
--shadow-lg	0 10px 15px -3px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1)	Large elevation, prominence
--shadow-xl	0 20px 25px -5px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1)	Extra-large elevation, modals

Shadow Usage Examples

/* Cards */
.ds-card {
  box-shadow: var(--shadow-md);
}

.ds-card:hover {
  box-shadow: var(--shadow-lg);
  transition: box-shadow var(--duration-normal) var(--ease-default);
}

/* Modal/Dialog */
.modal {
  box-shadow: var(--shadow-xl);
}

/* Buttons on hover */
.ds-btn:hover {
  box-shadow: 0 4px 12px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.15);
}

/* Dropdown menus */
.dropdown {
  box-shadow: var(--shadow-lg);
}

/* Floating Action Button */
.floating-button {
  box-shadow: var(--shadow-lg);
}

/* Toast notifications */
.ds-toast {
  box-shadow: var(--shadow-lg);
}

Dark Mode Shadows

Dark mode shadows are automatically adjusted through color-space calculations:

:root.dark .ds-card {
  box-shadow: var(--shadow-lg);  /* Adapts to dark background */
}

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Z-Index Tokens

Layering and stacking context management.

Z-Index Scale

Token	Value	Use Cases
--z-toast	9999	Toast notifications (highest)
--z-modal	9998	Modal backdrops
--z-dropdown	1000	Dropdown menus
--z-sticky	100	Sticky headers
--z-base	1	Default z-index

Z-Index Usage Examples

/* Toast container */
.ds-toast-provider {
  position: fixed;
  z-index: var(--z-toast);  /* 9999 - Always on top */
}

/* Modal backdrop */
.modal-backdrop {
  position: fixed;
  z-index: calc(var(--z-toast) - 1);  /* 9998 */
}

/* Dropdown menu */
.dropdown {
  position: absolute;
  z-index: var(--z-dropdown);  /* 1000 */
}

/* Sticky header */
header {
  position: sticky;
  z-index: var(--z-sticky);  /* 100 */
}

/* Notification badge (overlay) */
.notification-badge {
  position: absolute;
  z-index: calc(var(--z-sticky) + 1);
}

---

Using Design Tokens

In CSS

/* Using tokens in stylesheets */
.my-component {
  background: var(--primary);
  color: var(--foreground);
  padding: var(--space-4);
  border-radius: var(--radius);
  box-shadow: var(--shadow-md);
  font-size: var(--text-base);
  transition: all var(--duration-normal) var(--ease-default);
}

In CSS-in-JS

// Using tokens in styled components
const styles = `
  background: var(--primary);
  color: var(--foreground);
  padding: var(--space-4);
`;

const component = document.createElement('div');
component.style.cssText = styles;

In JavaScript

// Reading token values
function getPrimaryColor() {
  return getComputedStyle(document.documentElement)
    .getPropertyValue('--primary')
    .trim();
}

// Setting token values
function setPrimaryColor(color) {
  document.documentElement.style.setProperty('--primary', color);
}

// Within Web Components
class MyComponent extends HTMLElement {
  getCSSVariable(name) {
    return getComputedStyle(this)
      .getPropertyValue(name)
      .trim();
  }

  setPrimaryColor(color) {
    this.style.setProperty('--primary', color);
  }
}

As SCSS Variables

If using SCSS, you can reference tokens:

$primary: var(--primary);
$secondary: var(--secondary);
$space-4: var(--space-4);
$duration-normal: var(--duration-normal);

.my-button {
  background: $primary;
  padding: $space-4;
  transition: all $duration-normal;
}

---

Theme Customization

Changing Token Values

Global Customization

/* Override tokens globally */
:root {
  /* Custom colors */
  --primary: #0066cc;
  --secondary: #6366f1;
  --success: #10b981;

  /* Custom spacing */
  --space-4: 1.25rem;  /* Increase default spacing */
}

Dark Mode Customization

/* Dark mode overrides */
:root.dark {
  --primary: #3b82f6;
  --secondary: #818cf8;
  --success: #34d399;

  --foreground: #f1f5f9;
  --background: #0f172a;
  --card: #1e293b;
  --card-foreground: #e2e8f0;
}

Component-Specific Customization

/* Override for specific component */
.my-custom-button {
  --primary: #ff6b6b;  /* Use custom primary for this button */
  background: var(--primary);
}

Switching Between Themes

// Add dark mode class
function enableDarkMode() {
  document.documentElement.classList.add('dark');
  localStorage.setItem('theme', 'dark');
}

// Remove dark mode
function disableDarkMode() {
  document.documentElement.classList.remove('dark');
  localStorage.setItem('theme', 'light');
}

// Toggle dark mode
function toggleDarkMode() {
  document.documentElement.classList.toggle('dark');
}

// Detect system preference
function detectSystemTheme() {
  if (window.matchMedia('(prefers-color-scheme: dark)').matches) {
    enableDarkMode();
  }
}

// Apply saved preference on load
function loadSavedTheme() {
  const saved = localStorage.getItem('theme');
  if (saved === 'dark') {
    enableDarkMode();
  }
}

// Listen for system theme changes
window.matchMedia('(prefers-color-scheme: dark)')
  .addEventListener('change', (e) => {
    if (e.matches) {
      enableDarkMode();
    } else {
      disableDarkMode();
    }
  });

Token Export for Other Platforms

Design tokens can be exported for use in other design tools:

{
  "colors": {
    "primary": "#3b82f6",
    "secondary": "#6366f1",
    "success": "#10b981"
  },
  "spacing": {
    "4": "16px",
    "6": "24px"
  },
  "typography": {
    "base": "16px"
  }
}

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Token Validation

All components are validated to ensure they use design tokens instead of hardcoded values.

Validation Rules

• ❌ Hardcoded colors: background: #3b82f6;
• ✅ Token colors: background: var(--primary);
• ❌ Hardcoded spacing: padding: 16px;
• ✅ Token spacing: padding: var(--space-4);
• ❌ Hardcoded sizes: border-radius: 8px;
• ✅ Token sizes: border-radius: var(--radius);

Running Validation

npm run validate:tokens

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Migration Guide

From v0.8.0 to v1.0.0

Before (Hardcoded values):

.button {
  background: #3b82f6;
  padding: 16px 24px;
  border-radius: 8px;
}

After (Using tokens):

.button {
  background: var(--primary);
  padding: var(--space-3) var(--space-6);
  border-radius: var(--radius);
}

---

Best Practices

1. Always use tokens - Never hardcode values
2. Use semantic names - Pick colors by semantic meaning (primary, success) not appearance (blue, green)
3. Maintain contrast - Ensure sufficient contrast for accessibility
4. Test themes - Always test in both light and dark modes
5. Document changes - Update this guide when adding tokens
6. Version tokens - Keep tokens in sync with component versions

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Summary Table

Category	Count	Example
Color tokens	14	--primary, --success, --destructive
Spacing tokens	10	--space-1 through --space-10
Typography tokens	5	--text-xs through --text-xl
Radius tokens	4	--radius, --radius-sm, --radius-full
Duration tokens	3	--duration-fast, --duration-normal, --duration-slow
Shadow tokens	4	--shadow-sm through --shadow-xl
Z-index tokens	5	--z-toast, --z-modal, --z-dropdown
TOTAL	45	All CSS variables

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For more information: design-system@company.com