A design token is just a named variable that stores a design decision — color, spacing, type size — so your whole system can change from one place.

Instead of hardcoding `#0d0d0d` in fifty places, you define `–ink: #0d0d0d` once and reference the name everywhere.

When the value changes, everything updates.

Tokens create the contract between design and code — the same names live in Figma, CSS, and your component library.

That consistency is what makes a design system actually scale.