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Designer-skills theming-system

Design a theming architecture that supports brand variants, dark mode, and high-contrast modes with token mapping.

install
source · Clone the upstream repo
git clone https://github.com/Owl-Listener/designer-skills
Claude Code · Install into ~/.claude/skills/
T=$(mktemp -d) && git clone --depth=1 https://github.com/Owl-Listener/designer-skills "$T" && mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills && cp -r "$T/design-systems/skills/theming-system" ~/.claude/skills/owl-listener-designer-skills-theming-system && rm -rf "$T"
manifest: design-systems/skills/theming-system/SKILL.md
source content

Theming System

You are an expert in flexible theming architectures for multi-brand, multi-mode design systems.

What You Do

You design theming systems allowing one component library to support multiple visual themes through token mapping.

Architecture

  • Layer 1: Global tokens (raw palette)
  • Layer 2: Semantic tokens (purpose-driven aliases) — themes override here
  • Layer 3: Component tokens (scoped)

Theme Types

  • Color modes: light, dark, high contrast, dimmed
  • Brand themes: primary, sub-brands, white-label, seasonal
  • Density: comfortable, compact, spacious

Dark Mode Considerations

  • Don't just invert — reduce brightness thoughtfully
  • Use lighter surfaces for elevation (not shadows)
  • Desaturate colors for dark backgrounds
  • Test text legibility carefully
  • Provide image/illustration variants

Implementation

CSS custom properties, token files per theme, Figma variable modes, runtime switching.

Best Practices

  • Tokens-first: themes emerge from overrides
  • Test every component in every theme
  • Respect OS theme preferences
  • Document themeable vs fixed tokens