Systems20 April 2026 · 5 min
Why I build with tokens, not one-off screens
Design tokens turn a static palette into a system you can re-theme in a single file. Here's why they're worth the setup.
A token is just a named value — a color, a radius, a spacing step — used everywhere instead of a hard-coded number.
The payoff is leverage: change one variable and the whole product updates, consistently, without a hunt-and-replace.
Tokens also keep design and code honest. When the same names exist in both, drift between the two has nowhere to hide.
