The article “Naming Tokens in Design Systems” by Nathan Curtis, published on EightShapes, explores how to create effective, scalable naming conventions for design tokens—fundamental pieces of UI style like color, spacing, or typography stored as variables in design systems. The article’s core purpose is to help design system teams understand the nuances of naming, avoid pitfalls, and align cross-functional teams (design, engineering, and documentation) around consistent, meaningful labels.
Curtis breaks down token naming into layers of complexity, from simple, purpose-based labels like color.background to more advanced structured schemes that support themes, component states, and scalability. He highlights the importance of clarity, hierarchy, and predictability in naming, and discusses token categories such as global vs. component tokens, semantic naming, and naming for variants (e.g., hover, disabled). The article also provides example token taxonomies and naming systems in real-world use, making it a practical guide for anyone designing or maintaining a mature design system.
