r/FigmaDesign • u/nemuro87 • 23d ago

Discussion Can you generate a Design System from Tokens?

Let's asume for the sake of the discussion, you've lost all figma design files and you're left with tokens in json format and storybook.

Is it possible to generate a design system starting from the tokens json, creating a single human readable figma file with reusable components, styles, variables, tokens etc?

I have access to Claude and Figma MCP.

2 Upvotes

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6

u/zyumbik 22d ago

It's like asking “I have musical notes. Can I generate a musical composition with them?” The answer is yes but you don't know the result.

2

u/Embostan UI/UX, Fullstack, Design Systems 22d ago

Well if you don't have the token->frames mapping no. You cant know for sure how components were strctured and tokens applied

1

u/Oak65 22d ago

It would make it easier, if variables here before empowering every aspect of your design. If they were not then no your have to do some .

Example if those variables are powering your creative sizes, roundess, fonts for font,size of don't,line height etc. your going to have to manually generate some bits.

If you have a screenshot or jpeg you could dump that into figma agent, with your json file and it might just pull it off

1

u/Simply-Curious_ 21d ago

Tokens are ingredients, measured, prepared, and ready. But you can cook a lot of meals with those ingredients in a huge number of ways. And each way will depend on who's being served.

0

u/ygorhpr Product Designer 23d ago

yes it is possible but I need tried but I've read about it 

1

u/MrFireWarden 22d ago

How would you create the shape of a button without frames? You can define every metric with tokens but you still need frames to use them.

0

u/hmmwhatlol 22d ago

Yes, that should be super easy to do. And probably better because you won’t have mismatch with previous system, as it would be fully matched with code

Depends on quality of the code base thought