From Brittle to Brilliant: How Semantic Token References Power Design Systems

Export scripts that flatten typography tokens strip away the semantic relationships that make design systems maintainable, turning simple rebrands into fragile manual operations. By preserving token aliases through W3C composite specifications and Figma's binding API, teams maintain a true dependency graph where changes cascade from a single source of truth. This architectural difference determines whether a design system becomes an asset or an impediment as it scales.