Hi Figma team,
I’m working with a central design system library that uses variables for colors, typography, spacing, etc. The challenge I’m running into is how to customize those variables per project/client without editing the library file.
Here’s the workflow I’d love to have:
-
In the library file, components are built using semantic variables (e.g.,
Brand / Primary,Text / Default). -
In a project file, I create local variables with the same semantic structure but mapped to project-specific brand values.
-
I want to be able to relink or remap library variables to my local variables, so that when I update the local variable values, all linked components automatically update.
Right now, even if I duplicate the variable structure locally, components still reference the library’s variable IDs, and there’s no way to swap or remap them to my local set. The only options are:
-
Manually rebind variables one by one (tedious), or
-
Carry all brands inside the library as modes (not scalable when working with many clients).
Feature request:
-
Allow local variables with the same name/structure to automatically replace library variables in the project file.
-
This would make it much easier to reuse a single design system across many branded projects without duplicating or detaching components.
This feature would dramatically improve workflows for agencies and teams working with multi-brand systems or white-labeled projects.
Thanks for considering!
