ckm:design-system

A three-layer design token architecture separates raw values, semantic meaning, and component overrides. It works by mapping primitive tokens to semantic tokens, which then feed into component-specific tokens, enabling clean separation and scalable theming across products.

To set up semantic tokens and CSS variables for UI theming, run the token generator script to bootstrap your design system. This establishes a three-layer architecture and outputs CSS variables for spacing and typography scales, ensuring consistent brand application.

Yes, you can use this design token system to generate slide templates and presentation decks. It includes tooling and references specifically designed for rapid deck production, ensuring your slides remain compliant with your established brand language.

The best way to manage design-to-code handoff is by using a token-driven foundation with semantic tokens and CSS variables. This approach bridges designers and frontend engineers by providing a unified design language and brand-compliant templates.

No external dependencies are required to implement this token-driven design system foundation. The system provides its own internal scripts and references to manage tokens, spacing, typography scales, and slide generation independently.

You should not use a three-layer token architecture for UI theming if your project is small and does not require scalable brand consistency across multiple products. The primitive, semantic, and component layers add unnecessary overhead for simple, single-product applications.