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Design Tokens That Win Friends & Influence People

Design Tokens That Win Friends & Influence People

Design Tokens That Win Friends & Influence People

Design Tokens That Win Friends & Influence People

Architect and socialize design decisions in a way that sticks around for years to come.


Sign up to be notified when this course is available.

Architect and socialize design decisions in a way that sticks around for years to come.


Sign up to be notified when this course is available.

Difficulty

Intermediate

Audience

Designers & Engineers

Establishing a design token approach for an organization needs to be facilitated as much as it needs to be architected. It’s not just a technical exercise involving design and code tools: instituting design tokens needs to be a strategic a collaborative endeavor for it to last and grow.


Using design tokens within a design system is like pouring gasoline on a fire. If you want to really maximize consistency across your company, design tokens are to your design language what design systems are for your user interfaces.

Establishing a design token approach for an organization needs to be facilitated as much as it needs to be architected. It’s not just a technical exercise involving design and code tools: instituting design tokens needs to be a strategic a collaborative endeavor for it to last and grow.


Using design tokens within a design system is like pouring gasoline on a fire. If you want to really maximize consistency across your company, design tokens are to your design language what design systems are for your user interfaces.

Establishing a design token approach for an organization needs to be facilitated as much as it needs to be architected. It’s not just a technical exercise involving design and code tools: instituting design tokens needs to be a strategic a collaborative endeavor for it to last and grow.


Using design tokens within a design system is like pouring gasoline on a fire. If you want to really maximize consistency across your company, design tokens are to your design language what design systems are for your user interfaces.

Establishing a design token approach for an organization needs to be facilitated as much as it needs to be architected. It’s not just a technical exercise involving design and code tools: instituting design tokens needs to be a strategic a collaborative endeavor for it to last and grow.


Using design tokens within a design system is like pouring gasoline on a fire. If you want to really maximize consistency across your company, design tokens are to your design language what design systems are for your user interfaces.

01

Design Token Basics

What design tokens are, what they’re for, and what’s so difficult about them.

01

Design Token Basics

What design tokens are, what they’re for, and what’s so difficult about them.

01

Design Token Basics

What design tokens are, what they’re for, and what’s so difficult about them.

02

Principles for Useful Systems

In order to architect a design token system, you have to understand how to craft a good system in general. We’ll review the principles for any useful system as a foundation to build on.

02

Principles for Useful Systems

In order to architect a design token system, you have to understand how to craft a good system in general. We’ll review the principles for any useful system as a foundation to build on.

02

Principles for Useful Systems

In order to architect a design token system, you have to understand how to craft a good system in general. We’ll review the principles for any useful system as a foundation to build on.

03

Mommy, Where Do Design Tokens Come From?

Most design system teams think they have to create design tokens for their entire organization. They’re wrong.

03

Mommy, Where Do Design Tokens Come From?

Most design system teams think they have to create design tokens for their entire organization. They’re wrong.

03

Mommy, Where Do Design Tokens Come From?

Most design system teams think they have to create design tokens for their entire organization. They’re wrong.

04

Systems of Systems

Successful design token systems are usually a series of systems that have intentional overlaps and overrides. We’ll identify an organic process to arrive at a practical systems of systems for design tokens.

04

Systems of Systems

Successful design token systems are usually a series of systems that have intentional overlaps and overrides. We’ll identify an organic process to arrive at a practical systems of systems for design tokens.

04

Systems of Systems

Successful design token systems are usually a series of systems that have intentional overlaps and overrides. We’ll identify an organic process to arrive at a practical systems of systems for design tokens.

05

Unearthing Tokens at Your Organization

A practical exercise of establishing a system when there are already many features and products in use.

05

Unearthing Tokens at Your Organization

A practical exercise of establishing a system when there are already many features and products in use.

05

Unearthing Tokens at Your Organization

A practical exercise of establishing a system when there are already many features and products in use.

06

Tools & Rules

A simple framework that explains why some systems just don’t take at many organizations.

06

Tools & Rules

A simple framework that explains why some systems just don’t take at many organizations.

06

Tools & Rules

A simple framework that explains why some systems just don’t take at many organizations.

07

The State of Design Token Tooling

A roundup of digital apps that help within a design token workflow. How far away is our industry from the kinds of workflows we want and need? We’ll look at tools like Style Dictionary, Supernova, Specify, Tokens Studio—and even Figma’s newly announced Variables feature.

07

The State of Design Token Tooling

A roundup of digital apps that help within a design token workflow. How far away is our industry from the kinds of workflows we want and need? We’ll look at tools like Style Dictionary, Supernova, Specify, Tokens Studio—and even Figma’s newly announced Variables feature.

07

The State of Design Token Tooling

A roundup of digital apps that help within a design token workflow. How far away is our industry from the kinds of workflows we want and need? We’ll look at tools like Style Dictionary, Supernova, Specify, Tokens Studio—and even Figma’s newly announced Variables feature.

08

Naming & Structuring Tokens

Naming is hard! Or is it? We’ll introduce a 4-tier system that’ll make it easy to identify and evangelize design tokens to any organization.

08

Naming & Structuring Tokens

Naming is hard! Or is it? We’ll introduce a 4-tier system that’ll make it easy to identify and evangelize design tokens to any organization.

08

Naming & Structuring Tokens

Naming is hard! Or is it? We’ll introduce a 4-tier system that’ll make it easy to identify and evangelize design tokens to any organization.

09

Putting It All Together: Using Design Tokens in Production

Most design token content focuses on creating design tokens but misses the more important part: how to use them! We’ll round out this course by showing you how to use design tokens in the most manageable and clear way possible so they can help you scale design effectively.

09

Putting It All Together: Using Design Tokens in Production

Most design token content focuses on creating design tokens but misses the more important part: how to use them! We’ll round out this course by showing you how to use design tokens in the most manageable and clear way possible so they can help you scale design effectively.

09

Putting It All Together: Using Design Tokens in Production

Most design token content focuses on creating design tokens but misses the more important part: how to use them! We’ll round out this course by showing you how to use design tokens in the most manageable and clear way possible so they can help you scale design effectively.

Who should take this course

Who should take this course

Who should take this course

Who should take this course

Designers, engineers, and product managers who work day-to-day with design decisions for digital products

Designers, engineers, and product managers who work day-to-day with design decisions for digital products

Design, engineering, and product leads and directors who manage teams and design decisions that need to scale to the needs of an entire organization

Design, engineering, and product leads and directors who manage teams and design decisions that need to scale to the needs of an entire organization

Design token beginners and experts alike are welcome!

Design token beginners and experts alike are welcome!

What you’ll learn

What you’ll learn

What you’ll learn

What you’ll learn

A thorough understanding of what design tokens are and how they can be used at an organization and within a design system

How to architect and socialize design decisions in a way that sticks

How to inventory and consolidate disparate design decisions across an organization

How to design a system of systems with tokens that manage the right level of flexibility for use

The state of tooling for design tokens

A thorough understanding of what design tokens are and how they can be used at an organization and within a design system

How to architect and socialize design decisions in a way that sticks

How to inventory and consolidate disparate design decisions across an organization

How to design a system of systems with tokens that manage the right level of flexibility for use

The state of tooling for design tokens

About the Instructor

About the Instructor

Dan Mall is a seasoned teacher, coach, consultant, creative director, and designer. He previously ran design systems consultancy SuperFriendly for a decade and has taught design systems to thousands of people from companies like Google, Shopify, Peloton,


Dan lives just outside Philly with his wife, two daughters, and two dogs. He learned how to swim last year and plans to try scuba diving sometime soon.

Dan Mall is a seasoned teacher, coach, consultant, creative director, and designer. He previously ran design systems consultancy SuperFriendly for a decade and has taught design systems to thousands of people from companies like Google, Shopify, Peloton,


Dan lives just outside Philly with his wife, two daughters, and two dogs. He learned how to swim last year and plans to try scuba diving sometime soon.

Dan Mall is a seasoned teacher, coach, consultant, creative director, and designer. He previously ran design systems consultancy SuperFriendly for a decade and has taught design systems to thousands of people from companies like Google, Shopify, Peloton,


Dan lives just outside Philly with his wife, two daughters, and two dogs. He learned how to swim last year and plans to try scuba diving sometime soon.

Learn how to architect and socialize design decisions in a way that sticks around for years to come.

Sign up to be notified when this course is available.

Learn how to architect and socialize design decisions in a way that sticks around for years to come.

Sign up to be notified when this course is available.

Learn how to architect and socialize design decisions in a way that sticks around for years to come.

Sign up to be notified when this course is available.

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Level up your knowledge of design systems, one email at a time. Starts whenever you’re ready.

Beginner

Level up your knowledge of design systems, one email at a time. Starts whenever you’re ready.

Beginner

Level up your knowledge of design systems, one email at a time. Starts whenever you’re ready.

Design System University is content & curriculum to help you design at scale.

Subscribe for the latest content about design systems:

© 2023–2024 Design System University. All rights reserved.

DSU

Design System University is content & curriculum to help you design at scale.

Subscribe for the latest content about design systems:

© 2023–2024 Design System University. All rights reserved.

DSU

Design System University is content & curriculum to help you design at scale.

Subscribe for the latest content about design systems:

© 2023–2024 Design System University. All rights reserved.

DSU

Design System University is content & curriculum to help you design at scale.

Subscribe for the latest content about design systems:

© 2023–2024 Design System University. All rights reserved.

DSU