Most teams start a design system by picking colours. We start by agreeing on names — because names are what both designers and engineers will type every day.

Semantic before literal

A token called ‘red-500’ tells you what it looks like. A token called ‘border-critical’ tells you when to use it. The second survives a rebrand; the first does not.

Version it like an API

When a token changes meaning, it’s a breaking change. We version tokens, write release notes, and review changes the same way we review code.

Start small

Twenty well-named tokens beat two hundred clever ones. Add more only when a real screen needs them.