Design System Patterns
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Build scalable design systems with design tokens, theming infrastructure, and component architecture patterns. Use when creating design tokens, implementing theme switching, building component libraries, or establishing design system foundations.
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| name | design-system-patterns |
|---|---|
| description | Build scalable design systems with design tokens, theming infrastructure, and component architecture patterns. Use when creating design tokens, implementing theme switching, building component libraries, or establishing design system foundations. |
| 1 | --- |
| 2 | name: design-system-patterns |
| 3 | description: Build scalable design systems with design tokens, theming infrastructure, and component architecture patterns. Use when creating design tokens, implementing theme switching, building component libraries, or establishing design system foundations. |
| 4 | ---A5 — No allowed-tools declared — no way to tell what this skill may touch |
| 5 | |
| 6 | # Design System Patterns |
| 7 | |
| 8 | Master design system architecture to create consistent, maintainable, and scalable UI foundations across web and mobile applications. |
| 9 | |
| 10 | ## When to Use This Skill |
| 11 | |
| 12 | - Creating design tokens for colors, typography, spacing, and shadows |
| 13 | - Implementing light/dark theme switching with CSS custom properties |
| 14 | - Building multi-brand theming systems |
| 15 | - Architecting component libraries with consistent APIs |
| 16 | - Establishing design-to-code workflows with Figma tokens |
| 17 | - Creating semantic token hierarchies (primitive, semantic, component) |
| 18 | - Setting up design system documentation and guidelines |
| 19 | |
| 20 | ## Core Capabilities |
| 21 | |
| 22 | ### 1. Design Tokens |
| 23 | |
| 24 | - Primitive tokens (raw values: colors, sizes, fonts) |
| 25 | - Semantic tokens (contextual meaning: text-primary, surface-elevated) |
| 26 | - Component tokens (specific usage: button-bg, card-border) |
| 27 | - Token naming conventions and organization |
| 28 | - Multi-platform token generation (CSS, iOS, Android) |
| 29 | |
| 30 | ### 2. Theming Infrastructure |
| 31 | |
| 32 | - CSS custom properties architecture |
| 33 | - Theme context providers in React |
| 34 | - Dynamic theme switching |
| 35 | - System preference detection (prefers-color-scheme) |
| 36 | - Persistent theme storage |
| 37 | - Reduced motion and high contrast modes |
| 38 | |
| 39 | ### 3. Component Architecture |
| 40 | |
| 41 | - Compound component patterns |
| 42 | - Polymorphic components (as prop) |
| 43 | - Variant and size systems |
| 44 | - Slot-based composition |
| 45 | - Headless UI patterns |
| 46 | - Style props and responsive variants |
| 47 | |
| 48 | ### 4. Token Pipeline |
| 49 | |
| 50 | - Figma to code synchronization |
| 51 | - Style Dictionary configuration |
| 52 | - Token transformation and formatting |
| 53 | - CI/CD integration for token updates |
| 54 | |
| 55 | ## Quick Start |
| 56 | |
| 57 | ```typescript |
| 58 | // Design tokens with CSS custom properties |
| 59 | const tokens = { |
| 60 | colors: { |
| 61 | // Primitive tokens |
| 62 | gray: { |
| 63 | 50: "#fafafa", |
| 64 | 100: "#f5f5f5", |
| 65 | 900: "#171717", |
| 66 | }, |
| 67 | blue: { |
| 68 | 500: "#3b82f6", |
| 69 | 600: "#2563eb", |
| 70 | }, |
| 71 | }, |
| 72 | // Semantic tokens (reference primitives) |
| 73 | semantic: { |
| 74 | light: { |
| 75 | "text-primary": "var(--color-gray-900)", |
| 76 | "text-secondary": "var(--color-gray-600)", |
| 77 | "surface-default": "var(--color-white)", |
| 78 | "surface-elevated": "var(--color-gray-50)", |
| 79 | "border-default": "var(--color-gray-200)", |
| 80 | "interactive-primary": "var(--color-blue-500)", |
| 81 | }, |
| 82 | dark: { |
| 83 | "text-primary": "var(--color-gray-50)", |
| 84 | "text-secondary": "var(--color-gray-400)", |
| 85 | "surface-default": "var(--color-gray-900)", |
| 86 | "surface-elevated": "var(--color-gray-800)", |
| 87 | "border-default": "var(--color-gray-700)", |
| 88 | "interactive-primary": "var(--color-blue-400)", |
| 89 | }, |
| 90 | }, |
| 91 | }; |
| 92 | ``` |
| 93 | |
| 94 | ## Detailed patterns and worked examples |
| 95 | |
| 96 | Detailed pattern documentation lives in `references/details.md`. Read that file when the navigation tier above is insufficient. |
| 97 | |
| 98 | ## Best Practices |
| 99 | |
| 100 | 1. **Name Tokens by Purpose**: Use semantic names (text-primary) not visual descriptions (dark-gray) |
| 101 | 2. **Maintain Token Hierarchy**: Primitives > Semantic > Component tokens |
| 102 | 3. **Document Token Usage**: Include usage guidelines with token definitions |
| 103 | 4. **Version Tokens**: Treat token changes as API changes with semver |
| 104 | 5. **Test Theme Combinations**: Verify all themes work with all components |
| 105 | 6. **Automate Token Pipeline**: CI/CD for Figma-to-code synchronization |
| 106 | 7. **Provide Migration Paths**: Deprecate tokens gradually with clear alternatives |
| 107 | |
| 108 | ## Common Issues |
| 109 | |
| 110 | - **Token Sprawl**: Too many tokens without clear hierarchy |
| 111 | - **Inconsistent Naming**: Mixed conventions (camelCase vs kebab-case) |
| 112 | - **Missing Dark Mode**: Tokens that don't adapt to theme changes |
| 113 | - **Hardcoded Values**: Using raw values instead of tokens |
| 114 | - **Circular References**: Tokens referencing each other in loops |
| 115 | - **Platform Gaps**: Tokens missing for some platforms (web but not mobile) |
| 116 |
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