Architectural Standards
Strategy GuideBest Practices
Protocol guidelines for building scalable, maintainable, and enterprise-ready design token systems within Figma.
Core Principles
Semantic Taxonomy
Architect your collections based on function (e.g., 'Core', 'Brand', 'Component') rather than raw primitive values.
Atomic Aliasing
Use high-fidelity aliasing to create single points of failure for system-wide updates.
Versioned Schematics
Treat your JSON exports as production artifacts and version them within your engineering pipeline.
System Logic
- Use clear semantic naming (e.g., surface-primary)
- Establish high-fidelity alias chains
- Document every collection with metadata
- Sync with engineers using JSON exports
Common Failures
- Avoid raw value naming (e.g., blue-500)
- Never bypass the alias architecture
- Don't leave unused draft variables in production
- Avoid siloed manual updates without sync