Design tokens: global styles that don't betray you

Design tokens: global styles that don't betray you
A builder lives or dies by whether changing one brand color updates the whole site — or leaves orphaned hardcoded hex values everywhere.

Gutenberg's theme.json and Bricks' global variables both store true tokens you reference by name; change once, propagate everywhere. Elementor's Global Colors work until an imported template or addon hardcodes a value, silently breaking the chain. Divi improved with its 5 variables system.

Pros (token-true builders):
— One change rebrands the site, clean handoff to designers
Cons:
— Requires discipline; one hardcoded value breaks the model
Cons (weak-token builders):
— Imported templates leave stranded hex codes you hunt manually

Verdict: Gutenberg and Bricks have the cleanest token model; Elementor needs auditing.

Best for: brands that rebrand often or run design systems across multiple sites.