An organization invests hundreds of thousands in defining design decisions: brand colors, typography rules, spacing systems, component variants. These decisions are digital capital. Yet in practice, they’re often trapped in proprietary formats – Figma files, Sketch libraries, SCSS monoliths tied to a specific framework.

The Problem with Proprietary Token Formats

Figma stores styles and variables in a proprietary format accessible only via the Figma API. Switching to Penpot requires manual migration. Design decisions effectively belong to the tool vendor, not the organization. The same applies on the code side: SCSS variables are bound to the SCSS compiler, Tailwind configs to the Tailwind framework.

Sovereign Tokens: The Approach

Three principles: Open format (W3C DTCG standard), Single source of truth (JSON token files in Git), Multi-output build (Style Dictionary/Cobalt UI generates CSS, SCSS, TypeScript, iOS, Android from one source).

Token Portability in Practice

Scenario 1 – Figma → Penpot: JSON token files remain identical. Migration: hours, not weeks. Scenario 2 – React → Svelte: CSS Custom Properties remain identical. Token migration: zero effort. Scenario 3 – Rebranding: Semantic token values updated, build pipeline generates new CSS. Migration: one commit.

Dimension
Non-sovereign
Sovereign
Storage
Figma Cloud (US)
Git repository (own infra)
Format
Proprietary
W3C DTCG (open standard)
Build pipeline
SaaS
Open Source (Style Dictionary)
Output
One framework
Multi-platform
Portability
Tool-bound
Tool-independent

Key Takeaways

  • Design decisions are digital capital – they shouldn’t be trapped in proprietary formats.
  • Sovereign tokens are based on three principles: open format, single source of truth in Git, multi-output build.
  • Token portability makes tool switches, framework switches, and rebranding operational rather than strategic tasks.
  • Git as storage guarantees versioning, traceability, and ownership.