The Long and Short of It: Issue no.9 | Figma Blog (opens in new tab)

Issue no. 9 of Figma’s blog presents six “memos” about preserving craft, purpose, and creativity amid blurred roles, rapid product cycles, and emerging technology. The collection argues that digital creation should become more personal, emotionally resonant, adaptable, expressive, and inclusive. Rather than prescribing one method, the memos invite teams to question established approaches as they plan for 2025.

Personalize the Web

• Product Designer Chia Amisola argues that the internet has become increasingly standardized as it serves broader audiences.
• She calls for a more personal and poetic web, inspired by the resurgence of small, handcrafted websites.
• The accompanying essay, “Making space for a handmade web,” suggests that participating in this movement can begin simply by creating a site of your own.

Build an Emotional Competitive Moat

• Head of Insights Andrew Hogan argues that product differentiation cannot rely on features alone.
• As software becomes more ubiquitous, emotional resonance can make an app feel distinctive and meaningful.
• Teams should treat emotional response as part of product strategy and put “resonance on the roadmap.”

Leave Room to Depart from the Roadmap

• Director of Product Avantika Gomes challenges the idea that successful products must follow a fixed vision or predefined sequence of solutions.
• Unexpected changes and discoveries can shape a product as much as its original roadmap.
• Teams should avoid becoming overly attached to specific solutions and create room to pivot when circumstances or user needs change.

Reclaim Creative Coding

• Developer Jake Albaugh encourages developers to use the web’s expressive capabilities more fully.
• He points to creative coding and the work of Henry Desroches as examples of how code can support experimentation and artistic expression, not just functional interfaces.

The Value of Generalists

• Content Strategist Carly Ayres revisits the discussion around generalists and hybrid roles.
• As collaboration increasingly crosses design, development, writing, analysis, and product management, people who operate across disciplines may become especially valuable.

Expand the Definition of Design

• Another memo makes the case for greater inclusivity in design.
• It suggests that the industry should reconsider narrow assumptions about who design serves and what design work includes.

The collection’s practical message is to build with greater openness: make room for individuality, emotional connection, unexpected direction, creative experimentation, and broader participation. Teams planning new products should treat their process as adaptable rather than predetermined.