A comment about history of design tokens

[cigotete]

Hello Design Tokens community group.

I am not sure if this comment is pertinent for several reasons, but I am doing the comment for if is pertinent.

My comment is about your definition: "Design tokens are indivisible pieces of a design system such as colors, spacing, typography scale." located here https://tr.designtokens.org/.

Please let me know if I am misunderstanding how is defined what "Design tokens" is, but I believe that the "indivisible pieces of a design system such as colors, spacing, typography scale" concept already was used by other systems design within graphic, textile, architecture, industrial world like hardware systems (Cars, home and office objects from specific companies, or design movements like Bauhaus and others and its design principles) and even within UI software design world.

I hope not being bother, but if I am not wrong, within Occident with their Baroque, Renaissance, Ancient Rome, Greece, and other ancient Asian, Africa or South-america cultures can be traced aesthetic principles where colors, spacing, and maybe typography among other principles were developed (even other areas like music, food) as base patterns reused within cultural productions and products.

I am not sure if the comment is useful, but if it is, I think, could be more accurate to indicate that when you are referring about the term "Design tokens", maybe when the term was coined first?.

Please let me know if I am wrong or if I am misunderstanding the definition or the way how is defined Design Tokens, which is absolutely possible.

[c1rrus]

Thanks for pointing that out. That text could be worded better, and isn't really aligned with the definitions of "design token" we have in our glossary and format spec respectively:

The single source of truth to name and store a design decision, distributed so teams can use it across design tools and coding languages.

A (Design) Token is an information associated with a name, at minimum a name/value pair.

(TBH, I think that text is just something that predates our gloassary definition, which we forgot to update)

You're quite right - aspects of a design like colors, typography, spacing, etc. are as old as design itself and not something we're trying to invent a new name for. However, I'd argue the act of choosing a specific color/size/whatever, naming that choice within the context of a design system and all the methodologies around naming, organising, theming, etc. that have grown up around that, are more novel.

If we were to update the "indivisible pieces of a design system" line in our technical reports intro to be aligned with the definitions I cited above, would that be better?

[ipaintcode]

Firstly, I want to thank @c1rrus and all contributing members for their insightful discussions and efforts in defining and refining the concept of design tokens. Your work is foundational to advancing our collective understanding and application of design systems.

I've reflected on the definition of design tokens as "indivisible pieces of a design system such as colors, spacing, typography scale." This concept profoundly resonates across various design disciplines, including graphic design, architecture, and broader cultural aesthetic principles rooted in historical movements like the Baroque, Renaissance, and Bauhaus. These movements have enriched our visual and cultural landscapes and established fundamental design principles that influence today's digital design methodologies.

The practice of applying consistent design elements such as colors, spacing, and typography has evolved significantly with the advent of design tokens in digital design frameworks. This evolution marks a transition from traditional to digital, where the formalization and systematization of design elements enable a more structured and scalable approach. This approach enhances design consistency and reusability across platforms and teams, a testament to the innovative spirit that drives our community.

Given @c1rrus's valuable feedback, I support updating our introductory text to align more closely with the glossary and format spec definitions. Acknowledging these design principles' historical and cross-disciplinary roots could further enrich our definition of design tokens. By doing so, we underscore that the innovation of design tokens lies not in the design elements themselves but in the methodologies of naming, organizing, and applying these decisions within contemporary digital ecosystems.

Incorporating a brief mention of the term's origin or its parallels in historical design practices could illuminate the innovative aspects of design tokens. This context bridges the gap between time-honored design principles and the difficulties of digital product development, highlighting the unique value design tokens bring to modern design and development processes.

– Mark