The Making of Practice, a Book on Design and Craft by Figma | Figma Blog (opens in new tab)

Practice, Figma’s third annual Config magazine, explores craft as intentional making shaped by patience, precision, experimentation, and repetition. The project argues that quality depends not only on whether something works, but on how it works. Its editorial and visual design connect historical craftsmanship with contemporary digital tools and creative practice.

Craft as the Theme

• The magazine focuses on what it means to make with intention.
• Craft is presented as a process of:
  • Practicing repeatedly
  • Learning through failure
  • Studying more experienced makers
  • Taking risks and pushing boundaries
• Dylan Field summarizes the central idea: “The question is not just, can you make it work? It’s how it works that actually matters.”
• The contributors demonstrate that patience, observation, and intentionality apply across disciplines and mediums.

A Contemporary Take on Traditional Bookmaking

• Design studio Other Means created the print edition with type designer Kia Tasbihgou.
• The visual direction draws inspiration from William Morris and the Kelmscott Press, particularly its emphasis on intrinsic quality and artistic taste.
• Traditional bookmaking elements—including:
  • Initial caps
  • Fleurons
  • Decorative borders
  • Drop caps
• These details were reinterpreted in a contemporary style to connect historical craft with modern design.

Craft Across Design and Technology

• Practice brings together articles, interviews, and essays from Figma’s Story Studio.
• Its contributors work with screens, pixels, data, and digital tools, but share principles with makers in more physical disciplines.
• The project presents craft as both rooted in tradition and driven by innovation.
• The magazine’s featured subjects explore craft through themes including adaptation, iteration, application, and value.

Practice as a Typeface

• The book’s distinctive drop caps were expanded into a complete typeface.
• The resulting font includes a full alphabet of visually distinctive characters.
• Figma created a type specimen website using Figma Sites.
• The typeface is available to view and download through the Practice website.

Practice ultimately recommends treating making as a deliberate, ongoing discipline rather than a race to a working result. Whether designing software, typography, books, or physical objects, strong work comes from sustained practice and attention to how the final result is made.