Four years in, here’s what Config tells us about the state of design | Figma Blog (opens in new tab)

Config 2023 submissions suggest that the design industry is emerging from pandemic-era uncertainty with renewed optimism. Figma analyzed more than 1,000 conference proposals and found increasing interest in accessibility, creativity enabled by design systems, and broader collaboration. Overall, the submissions portray designers as focused on turning recent challenges into opportunities for more scalable, inclusive, and effective product development.

A More Optimistic Design Community

• Config submissions increased from 420 in 2021 to 520 in 2022 and more than 1,000 in 2023.
• Positive sentiment rose from 63% of submissions in 2021 to 72% in 2023.
• Submissions increasingly emphasized possibilities and ways teams had “thrived,” rather than focusing on outdated practices or persistent problems.
• References to the pandemic fell to one-sixth of their 2021 level.
• Mentions of “remote” declined by roughly 20%, suggesting that teams are adapting to changed work patterns.

Design Systems as Creative Infrastructure

• The perceived divide between creative freedom and systematic processes is narrowing.
• Designers increasingly view design systems as tools that reduce repetitive work and create more space for creative thinking.
• Teams operating at scale are investing in design tokens and reusable systems to maintain speed and consistency.
• In 2021, design-system discussions focused mainly on foundational tasks such as auditing, scaling, and establishing basic infrastructure.
• By 2023, submissions connected design systems more directly with creativity and visual expression, using terms such as “art,” “transition,” “color,” and “creating.”

The emerging view is that systems do not suppress creativity; they can provide the structure and efficiency needed to support it.