Figma announces design system meetups in 6 cities around the world | Figma Blog

Figma announced a series of design system meetups in six cities worldwide to help designers share challenges, lessons, and best practices. The initiative began in Lagos, Nigeria, where more than 300 people attended, and was shaped by strong community interest in design systems. Figma concluded that larger meetups were more inclusive and useful than the dinner-sized events originally planned.

Meetup Locations and Schedule

• Lagos, Nigeria — January 27
• Toronto, Canada — February 23
• Bangalore, India — details forthcoming
• Amsterdam, Netherlands — details forthcoming
• New York, United States — details forthcoming
• Los Angeles, United States — details forthcoming

Each event would be adapted to its local design community and include presentations from local designers. Figma representatives would attend where possible.

Community-Driven Organization

• The meetups grew out of thousands of responses to a questionnaire launched with DesignSystems.com.
• Designers volunteered to host or partner on events.
• Figma abandoned its original dinner format after receiving more interest than small venues could accommodate.
• The broader meetup format allowed more designers to participate and share “war stories” about building design systems.

The Lagos Meetup

• Lagos was selected because of its growing design and technology scene and its large concentration of Figma users in Africa.
• Figma’s cloud-based platform and free tier were especially valuable in Lagos, allowing designers to work from offices, home, or internet cafés.
• Hotels.ng designer Namnso Ukpanah organized the event.
• Speakers included designers from hotels.ng, Andela, and Paystack, along with Figma CEO Dylan Field.
• More than 300 people attended.

Expanding DesignSystems.com

Figma planned to use information from the questionnaire and meetups to create a more comprehensive version of DesignSystems.com. Designers interested in bringing an event to their city were encouraged to express interest, volunteer as hosts, or contact Figma for details.

The initiative demonstrates that design systems benefit from open, local communities where practitioners can exchange practical experience. Designers seeking similar events could support the effort by organizing locally or participating through DesignSystems.com.