UI Design System

Generate design tokens, create color palettes, calculate typography scales, build component systems, and prepare developer handoff documentation.

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Table of Contents

• Trigger Terms
• Workflows
• Workflow 1: Generate Design Tokens
• Workflow 2: Create Component System
• Workflow 3: Responsive Design
• Workflow 4: Developer Handoff
• Tool Reference
• Quick Reference Tables
• Knowledge Base

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Trigger Terms

Use this skill when you need to:

• "generate design tokens"
• "create color palette"
• "build typography scale"
• "calculate spacing system"
• "create design system"
• "generate CSS variables"
• "export SCSS tokens"
• "set up component architecture"
• "document component library"
• "calculate responsive breakpoints"
• "prepare developer handoff"
• "convert brand color to palette"
• "check WCAG contrast"
• "build 8pt grid system"

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Workflows

Workflow 1: Generate Design Tokens

Situation: You have a brand color and need a complete design token system.

Steps:

1. Identify brand color and style

• Brand primary color (hex format)
• Style preference: modern | classic | playful

1. Generate tokens using script

   python scripts/design_token_generator.py "#0066CC" modern json

1. Review generated categories

• Colors: primary, secondary, neutral, semantic, surface
• Typography: fontFamily, fontSize, fontWeight, lineHeight
• Spacing: 8pt grid-based scale (0-64)
• Borders: radius, width
• Shadows: none through 2xl
• Animation: duration, easing
• Breakpoints: xs through 2xl

1. Export in target format

   # CSS custom properties
   python scripts/design_token_generator.py "#0066CC" modern css > design-tokens.css

   # SCSS variables
   python scripts/design_token_generator.py "#0066CC" modern scss > _design-tokens.scss

   # JSON for Figma/tooling
   python scripts/design_token_generator.py "#0066CC" modern json > design-tokens.json

1. Validate accessibility

• Check color contrast meets WCAG AA (4.5:1 normal, 3:1 large text)
• Verify semantic colors have contrast colors defined

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Workflow 2: Create Component System

Situation: You need to structure a component library using design tokens.

Steps:

1. Define component hierarchy

• Atoms: Button, Input, Icon, Label, Badge
• Molecules: FormField, SearchBar, Card, ListItem
• Organisms: Header, Footer, DataTable, Modal
• Templates: DashboardLayout, AuthLayout

1. Map tokens to components

1. Define variant patterns

Size variants:

   sm: height 32px, paddingX 12px, fontSize 14px
   md: height 40px, paddingX 16px, fontSize 16px
   lg: height 48px, paddingX 20px, fontSize 18px

Color variants:

   primary: background primary-500, text white
   secondary: background neutral-100, text neutral-900
   ghost: background transparent, text neutral-700

1. Document component API

• Props interface with types
• Variant options
• State handling (hover, active, focus, disabled)
• Accessibility requirements

1. Reference: See references/component-architecture.md

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Workflow 3: Responsive Design

Situation: You need breakpoints, fluid typography, or responsive spacing.

Steps:

1. Define breakpoints

1. Calculate fluid typography

Formula: clamp(min, preferred, max)

   /* 16px to 24px between 320px and 1200px viewport */
   font-size: clamp(1rem, 0.5rem + 2vw, 1.5rem);

Pre-calculated scales:

   --fluid-h1: clamp(2rem, 1rem + 3.6vw, 4rem);
   --fluid-h2: clamp(1.75rem, 1rem + 2.3vw, 3rem);
   --fluid-h3: clamp(1.5rem, 1rem + 1.4vw, 2.25rem);
   --fluid-body: clamp(1rem, 0.95rem + 0.2vw, 1.125rem);

1. Set up responsive spacing

1. Reference: See references/responsive-calculations.md

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Workflow 4: Developer Handoff

Situation: You need to hand off design tokens to development team.

Steps:

1. Export tokens in required formats

   # For CSS projects
   python scripts/design_token_generator.py "#0066CC" modern css

   # For SCSS projects
   python scripts/design_token_generator.py "#0066CC" modern scss

   # For JavaScript/TypeScript
   python scripts/design_token_generator.py "#0066CC" modern json

1. Prepare framework integration

React + CSS Variables:

   import './design-tokens.css';

   <button className="btn btn-primary">Click</button>

Tailwind Config:

   const tokens = require('./design-tokens.json');

   module.exports = {
     theme: {
       colors: tokens.colors,
       fontFamily: tokens.typography.fontFamily
     }
   };

styled-components:

   import tokens from './design-tokens.json';

   const Button = styled.button`
     background: ${tokens.colors.primary['500']};
     padding: ${tokens.spacing['2']} ${tokens.spacing['4']};
   `;

1. Sync with Figma

• Install Tokens Studio plugin
• Import design-tokens.json
• Tokens sync automatically with Figma styles

1. Handoff checklist

• [ ] Token files added to project
• [ ] Build pipeline configured
• [ ] Theme/CSS variables imported
• [ ] Component library aligned
• [ ] Documentation generated

1. Reference: See references/developer-handoff.md

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Tool Reference

design_token_generator.py

Generates complete design token system from brand color.

Examples:

# Generate JSON tokens (default)
python scripts/design_token_generator.py "#0066CC"

# Classic style with CSS output
python scripts/design_token_generator.py "#8B4513" classic css

# Playful style summary view
python scripts/design_token_generator.py "#FF6B6B" playful summary

Output Categories:

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Quick Reference Tables

Color Scale Generation

Typography Scale (1.25x Ratio)

WCAG Contrast Requirements

Large text: ≥18pt regular or ≥14pt bold

Style Presets

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Knowledge Base

Detailed reference guides in references/:

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Validation Checklist

Token Generation

• [ ] Brand color provided in hex format
• [ ] Style matches project requirements
• [ ] All token categories generated
• [ ] Semantic colors include contrast values

Component System

• [ ] All sizes implemented (sm, md, lg)
• [ ] All variants implemented (primary, secondary, ghost)
• [ ] All states working (hover, active, focus, disabled)
• [ ] Uses only design tokens (no hardcoded values)

Accessibility

• [ ] Color contrast meets WCAG AA
• [ ] Focus indicators visible
• [ ] Touch targets ≥ 44×44px
• [ ] Semantic HTML elements used

Developer Handoff

• [ ] Tokens exported in required format
• [ ] Framework integration documented
• [ ] Design tool synced
• [ ] Component documentation complete