This document describes the technical specification for a design tokens file format. This format enables the exchange of design tokens between different tools.
This is a snapshot of the editors’ draft. It is for discussion only and may change at any moment. Its publication does not imply endorsement by W3C or the Design Tokens W3C Community Group Membership. Don’t cite this document other than as work in progress.
The Design Tokens W3C Community Group produced this document. They published it to facilitate Wide Review.
The Community Contributor License Agreement (CLA) governs contributions to this draft, as specified by the W3C Community Group Process.
This section is non normative
Design tokens establish a common vocabulary across organizations. They are a method for expressing design decisions.
Many tools allow importing and exporting design tokens, but formats are tool-specific. The burden of sharing tokens across tools is on design system teams. They must create and maintain their own, bespoke "glue" code or workflows. Migrating to different tools means updating those integrations.
The design token format proposes an alternative. One where interoperability is the largest goal. That all design, development, and documentation tools import and export the same format.