sas

SAS design-system density case study: density token view

Generated from the normalized JSON extract. Edit the JSON source and rerun the parent render-markdown.ps1 renderer; do not edit this page by hand.

• Scope: published implementation facts and exact values only
• Architecture model: independent density collection in a multi-axis token pipeline
• Evidence: public case study
• Exact token coverage: low; production package unavailable
• System report
• Source record
• Authoritative JSON

Snapshot

Field	Value
source	https://medium.com/sas-software-design/refactoring-design-system-tokens-for-a-multi-dimensional-future-4b42be9a146f
published	2024-07-12
retrieved	2026-08-13
evidenceType	public case study; production token package unavailable

How density is activated

Mechanism	Public implementation
designerModes	standard, compact, comfortable
developerTerms	standard: medium; compact: high; comfortable: low
tokenStudioCollections	brand, core, density, languages, themes
resolutionOrder	core, theme override, density override, language/locale override

Density-relevant tokens and values

Token or mapping	Type	Public values and metadata	Source
published-base-type-example	dimension	valuesPx: standard/default: 14; compact: 12; locale-specific-example: 16	sources/sas/README.md
compact-type-floor	accessibility constraint	valuePx: 12	sources/sas/README.md
density-responsive-categories	published category inventory	values: spacing, margin, padding, gaps, dialog geometry, input geometry, card geometry, selected type sizes, selected line heights, selected icon sizes, selected border radii	sources/sas/README.md

How tokens reach components

Component or boundary	Mapping
general	core semantic value -> optional theme override -> density override -> locale override -> component consumption
typography	selected roles change, but locale can override density and the compact design observes a 12px floor
axes	theme, density, and language are separate collections rather than Cartesian-product themes

Public evidence gaps

• SAS does not publish the production token JSON, individual token names, complete mode values, component source, Figma library, or runtime API described by the article.
• No unpublished values have been reconstructed from screenshots or prose.

Embedded authoritative JSON

Show raw JSON

{
  "system": "SAS design-system density case study",
  "scope": "published implementation facts and exact values only",
  "model": "independent density collection in a multi-axis token pipeline",
  "snapshot": {
    "source": "https://medium.com/sas-software-design/refactoring-design-system-tokens-for-a-multi-dimensional-future-4b42be9a146f",
    "published": "2024-07-12",
    "retrieved": "2026-08-13",
    "evidenceType": "public case study; production token package unavailable"
  },
  "activation": {
    "designerModes": ["standard", "compact", "comfortable"],
    "developerTerms": {"standard": "medium", "compact": "high", "comfortable": "low"},
    "tokenStudioCollections": ["brand", "core", "density", "languages", "themes"],
    "resolutionOrder": ["core", "theme override", "density override", "language/locale override"]
  },
  "tokens": [
    {"name": "published-base-type-example", "type": "dimension", "valuesPx": {"standard/default": 14, "compact": 12, "locale-specific-example": 16}, "source": "sources/sas/README.md"},
    {"name": "compact-type-floor", "type": "accessibility constraint", "valuePx": 12, "source": "sources/sas/README.md"},
    {"name": "density-responsive-categories", "type": "published category inventory", "values": ["spacing", "margin", "padding", "gaps", "dialog geometry", "input geometry", "card geometry", "selected type sizes", "selected line heights", "selected icon sizes", "selected border radii"], "source": "sources/sas/README.md"}
  ],
  "componentMappings": {
    "general": "core semantic value -> optional theme override -> density override -> locale override -> component consumption",
    "typography": "selected roles change, but locale can override density and the compact design observes a 12px floor",
    "axes": "theme, density, and language are separate collections rather than Cartesian-product themes"
  },
  "unavailable": [
    "SAS does not publish the production token JSON, individual token names, complete mode values, component source, Figma library, or runtime API described by the article.",
    "No unpublished values have been reconstructed from screenshots or prose."
  ]
}