Primitive

A tier of token meant to have a permanent value assigned. The naming of this token is usually closely related to the assigned value. In some cases, the name suggests that the token is a part of a group or scale of other similar primitive tokens.

The responsibility of these tokens is typically those who are responsible for the brand of the organization. They will choose the appropriate colors, fonts, and other styles that represent the brand appropriately.

It is uncommon for these tokens to be used directly within an interface. This is because it is similar to writing the value in place. Instead, other kinds of tokens will be used to alias the final value. This allows for these values to change over time for rebrands, user preferences, or cultural symbolism among other presentational needs.

Example

color.red.500 = #F44336
font.size.xl = 24pt

These tokens are helpful for the following reasons:

In many cases, it is easier to communicate the primitive token name than to communicate the assigned value.
When these tokens are part of a group, this reduces the number of possible values that a person would choose from.

Note

The reason for the permanence of the value associated with the token is because the token name is meant to describe the value. If the value changes, the name might not match with the new value. In this case, it is often helpful to include a namespace level to the token for new primitives to exist when needed.

v1.color.red.500 = #F44336
v2.color.red.500 = #FF1744