Synthetix Design System
Enterprise Design Token Architecture & WCAG AAA Accessible Primitives
Synthetix Design System
Enterprise Design Token Architecture & WCAG AAA Accessible Primitives
Overview
Synthetix is an enterprise-scale multi-brand design system architecture linking Figma Variables to production React primitives through automated GitHub Actions pipelines.
It features strict keyboard navigation, fluid typography formulas, high-contrast dark/light mode switches, and complete Storybook documentation.
By standardizing design tokens into single-source JSON contracts, the design and engineering teams eliminated manual copy-paste errors and cut UI implementation time by 4x.
The Problem
Engineering teams repeatedly suffered from divergence between Figma mocks and code. Arbitrary hex codes, missing focus rings, and broken screen reader announcements created severe tech debt.
- •Manual hex code copy-pasting resulting in 32 disparate shades of blue
- •Inaccessible modal and flyout menu focus traps that alienated assistive technology users
The Solution
We built an automated continuous integration pipeline where token updates in Figma automatically compile into CSS variables and TypeScript constants in under 4 seconds.
- •Automated Figma Variables sync compiling DTCG-compliant tokens via webhooks
- •Built on React Aria primitives to guarantee keyboard focus trapping and ARIA live announcements natively
- •Zero-runtime OKLCH color scale ensuring 7:1 contrast ratios for AAA certification
Results & Impact
Teams reported dramatic speed improvements in prototyping and shipping production-ready screens.
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