DTIFDesign tokens that travel well

Why teams choose DTIF ​

DTIF defines a common language for design tokens so product teams can ship consistent experiences faster. The specification separates the data model from implementation details, enabling design platforms, component libraries, and build tooling to exchange colour, typography, spacing, motion, and more without loss of fidelity.

Interoperable structure ​

• Normalised JSON schema captures token value, metadata, and relationships.
• Clear terminology and architecture make it easy to reason about token inheritance and overrides.
• Conformance requirements ensure tokens behave the same across tools and runtimes.

Extensible taxonomy ​

• Core token types cover practical scenarios from typography to animation.
• Namespaced extensions allow experimentation while maintaining interoperability.
• The registry records approved $type identifiers and extensions to keep adoption aligned.

Verified quality ​

• Schema-backed examples demonstrate real-world documents and edge cases.
• Reference tooling validates documents and serialisation logic during CI.
• Governance processes provide predictable change management and versioning.

Build faster with ready-to-use assets ​

Use the curated resources in this repository to streamline implementation and stay in sync with the standard:

• Core schema – the canonical JSON Schema for validators and toolchains.
• Reference examples – schema-valid token documents designed for testing and education.
• Registry – approved $type identifiers, extensions, and namespaces.
• Conformance tests – fixtures for verifying implementations and ensuring compatibility.
• Design Lint – a DTIF-native CLI for linting component codebases and build pipelines.

Each resource is maintained alongside the specification so updates ship together and are easy to adopt.

Governance you can trust ​

DTIF is stewarded through transparent governance procedures that balance forward momentum with long-term stability. The governance documentation covers proposal workflow, change control, licensing, and decision-making criteria, giving teams the assurance they need to plan roadmaps and de-risk adoption.

“DTIF helps our organisation collaborate across design and engineering while keeping a single source of truth for tokens.” – Early adopter feedback

Get involved ​

Whether you are piloting DTIF or building products on top of it, we welcome contributions:

• Share implementation learnings in the guides and improve onboarding.
• Submit examples, fixtures, and tooling through pull requests.
• Propose registry additions or specification enhancements via the governance process.

Join us in shaping an interoperable future for design tokens.