The answer is design tokens! For over a decade, we’ve helped dozens of organisations — including some of the world’s largest! — create design token systems to help them strike the balance between consistency/efficiency and expression/innovation. It’s hard and tricky work!

In this workshop, you’ll learn:

This full-day workshop will help you master design tokens to help your Multi-All-The-Things organisation create high-quality digital products:

• Core concepts – Why design tokens matter, use cases and applications, and where they live in a design system ecosystem
• Token foundations & architecture – Introduce the three-tiered design token architecture and apply it to color, typography, border, spacing, and shadow design tokens
• Naming conventions – Structure and guidance to help you conquer the biggest pain in the ass around creating a token system
• Implementing a token system in Figma and code – Creating token architecture in Figma Variables and Style Dictionary. We’ll discuss the good, bad, and ugly of synchronisation and automation between design and code
• Wiring up a token system in design and code – Implementing a token system in design files and CSS custom properties for design system and custom components
• Managing & evolving design token systems – Managing a token system as a product: cross-disciplinary collaboration, token czars, token system governance, and versioning
• Advanced design tokens – dark mode, rebrands, sub-brands, white-labeling, multiple product families, and more

Design tokens are a cross-disciplinary affair! That’s why this workshop is geared towards both designers and developers, and will be valuable for both teams getting started and teams with mature systems.

Your Hosts

Brad and Ian certainly co-created and consulted on themeable design systems for dozens of Multi-All-The-Things organisations so far. They bring their knowledge and expertise to Berlin.

Brad Frost

Brad is a design system consultant, front-end developer, teacher, speaker, writer, musician, and artist. He is passionated about the web, creativity, and helping people collaborate to make great digital things together.

Over the course of his career, he has helped teams establish and evolve design systems by combining solid architecture with more collaborative processes and culture. He created Atomic Design, and his book introduces a methodology to create and maintain effective design systems. He has been part of a slew of design systems projects, including co-hosting the Style, inventing Pattern Lab, curating Styleguides.io, creating Style Guide Guide, and many others.

Brad loves creating things, and he’s equally passionate about teaching. Through conferences, workshops, trainings, seminars, his long-running blog, my book, and other avenues, He taught design systems best practices to hundreds of thousands of designers and developers all over the world.

Ian Frost

Ian Frost is a front-end architect, technical lead, and consultant who loves to help level up developers. Ian also is Brad’s younger brother.

He has been developing design systems alongside Brad since 2015. Over the years, he built design systems in many technologies: Web Components, React, Angular, Vue, and others. Ian partnered with tech leads, developers, and designers from dozens of organisations to help them successfully establish, implement, and maintain sturdy design system and token architecture. This work is equal parts art and science, and he always is excited to share his hard-earned lessons to make your life easier.

Before Ian’s life as a web designer, he used to be a professional meteorologist. When he is not slingin’ code or forecasting for snow, you can find him playing music, doing sports, or spending time with his wife and son.

What You’ll Need

Your own computer.

When and Where Is the Workshop Taking Place?

On Wednesday, November 5th, from 10:00am (10:00) to 5pm (17:00). Venue TBA

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