Design Tokens Workflow in Figma - A practical guide

The best beginner-friendly walkthrough I’ve seen — with real resources to get started

Jun 24, 2025

Into Design Systems Conference Q&A + Resources board

What I Learned from Philipp Jeroma at Into Design Systems Conference 2025

At Into Design Systems 2025, Philipp Jeroma opened the conference with a practical, honest and detail-packed session:

“Design Tokens Workflow in Figma: A Practical Guide”

This session wasn’t just about how to create Design Tokens
It was about how to think 🧠 before you build them

Here is what I learned from his session at Into Design Systems conference:

Start with the problem not with tokens

Philipp framed the session around a fictional cyberpunk company called Yoguda Corp, where “Director Miller” demands tokens immediately.

Sound familiar?

The point: don’t build tokens just because someone said you should!

Start with clear goals
Understand the why before jumping into the how!

Design Tokens aren’t the same as variables

This confused me for the longest time, and Philipp cleared it up:

Design tokens are framework-agnostic design decisions
Variables are how those decisions get implemented in tools like Figma or code

Think of tokens as the recipe. Variables are how you 👨🏻‍🍳 cook it in your specific kitchen.

Use variables for quick setups. Use tokens when you need scalability, platform diversity, and clear governance.

The 5 pillars that prevent chaos

Here’s where Philipp really delivered.

He shared his Design Token Starter Canvas a framework built around five pillars that can save your future self from a world of 😰 pain:

1. Strategic alignment — What problem are tokens actually solving?

2. Organizational governance — Who makes decisions? How do people contribute?

3. Infrastructure — What’s your source of truth? How will tokens sync across tools?

4. Architecture & scaling — What naming conventions will you use? How many tiers?

5. Maintenance — How will you document, release, and gather feedback?

This isn’t a linear checklist you work through once. It’s a workspace to think, test and revisit as your system grows.

“Start small and iterate. Big leaps are expensive.” — Philipp Jeroma

Practical tools and resources

To help people get started, Philipp shared two powerful Figma resources:

Design Token Starter Canvas: a FigJam file to help teams think through decisions collaboratively
Design Token Starter Set: a Figma file with over 250 tokens across multiple tiers and modes

Design Tokens Starter Set at Into Design Systems

Design Token Starter Canvas in FigJam

To help teams get started, Philipp shared his Design Token Starter Canvas a FigJam file packed with pre-structured questions aligned to the five planning pillars.

It’s like a companion to help you document decisions, test assumptions and involve stakeholders over time.

He walked through the file live and showed how it’s meant to be used:

A “Get Started” section that explains the purpose and how to use the file
A glossary for common token terms and frameworks like RACI
Pre-filled examples from the fictional Yoguda Corp to spark ideas
A flexible working area that covers strategy, governance, infrastructure, architecture, and maintenance

“It’s not a checklist or a linear process. It’s a space to think, revise, and collaborate.”

Figma Variables hands-on with Philipp Jeroma

Hands-on session on Figma Variables

Philipp didn’t just talk about Design Tokens theory he showed it in action

In the second half of his session, he walked through a full Figma file designed to help you move from planning to actual token setup using Figma variables.

Here’s what stood out in the walkthrough:

The file includes 250+ predefined tokens across multiple tiers and themes
It uses a global → alias → component structure, but you can adjust it to match your system
You’ll find real variable collections already organized by purpose (e.g. interaction, purpose, background, text, radius, typography)
Each variable is editable, and you can immediately see how those changes cascade into components and UI elements

Into Design Systems Resources

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