figmaOct 4, 2023

Dan Mall’s 10 Principles for a Worthy Design Career | Figma Blog (opens in new tab)

Dan Mall’s approach to a worthwhile design career centers on deliberate choices, continuous learning, and using experience strategically. He argues that designers should pursue goals that genuinely matter, improve their odds by leveraging their existing advantages, and define the desired outcome before beginning. His career across agencies, startups, teaching, and writing illustrates how varied experiences can reinforce one another. ## A Career Built Through Experimentation - Mall’s 25-year career has included agency work, entrepreneurship, teaching, apprenticeships, and authorship. - He views each role and project as an opportunity to learn, solve problems creatively, and grow personally. - His work includes founding an agency, launching startups, teaching thousands of students, and writing books about pricing, design systems, and scalable design. - Continuous learning means more than following trends; it involves expanding one’s capabilities and finding better ways to solve problems. ## Identify Worthy Goals - Before committing to an endeavor, Mall asks: - What outcome do I envision? - Will that outcome leave me better off? - He considers goals most worthwhile when they are thrilling, important, and daunting, following Michael Bungay Stanier’s framework. - His decision to start an agency grew from a desire to spend more time with his family while creating a more flexible career. - Excitement is especially important to him: if an idea does not inspire him, he generally does not pursue it. ## Place Bets on Unfair Advantages - Every decision is a bet because choosing one path means giving up others and accepting an opportunity cost. - Designers can improve their chances by choosing opportunities that exploit their strengths, such as: - Expertise - Reputation - Relationships and network - Resources - Unique insights - Mall’s agency benefited from his prior agency experience, established reputation, and steady client base. - He references the MILES framework for identifying advantages: - Money - Intelligence and insight - Location and luck - Education and expertise - Status - His experience running a design-at-scale agency gave him similar advantages when launching Design System University. ## Begin With the End in Mind - Mall follows Stephen Covey’s principle of defining the desired destination before starting. - When he began conference speaking, he set a specific goal: eventually speak at An Event Apart, whose speakers he admired and whose work influenced his development. - Clear, achievable outcomes help turn broad ambitions into focused career decisions. A practical takeaway is to choose goals that genuinely excite you, assess the advantages you already possess, and define success before investing significant time and energy.

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figmaMar 6, 2023

Creators need creators | Figma Blog (opens in new tab)

Figma argues that creators need both open sharing and sustainable ways to support their work. To strengthen Figma Community, it introduces new selling tools and the Figma Creator Fund, helping creators monetize paid resources while funding free ones. The goal is a healthier ecosystem where consumers gain access to useful work and creators can keep innovating. ## Learning Through Open Sharing - Rogie King describes learning HTML, CSS, and design through other creators’ blogs and public experiments. - Figma Community extends that model by letting people explore complete, layered design files rather than isolated tips or screenshots. - Sharing work publicly helps creators learn, build an audience, and contribute to a collective creative culture. ## Expanding Figma Community - Figma Community grew from an initial collection of 49 plugins into a broader platform for design files, plugins, and resources. - Community members can use plugins and build tools tailored to their workflows. - Figma presents the platform as an open, collaborative ecosystem where creators learn and grow together. ## Problems with Creator Logistics - Making and sharing creative work often requires handling: - Websites and domains - Hosting and payment processing - Marketing and social media - Refunds, customer support, and license keys - These business responsibilities can distract creators from designing, experimenting, and building. - Exposure alone is not a sustainable source of income, especially as creators’ personal responsibilities change. ## New Selling Tools - Plugin developers will gain access to more powerful APIs, including capabilities that are typically paid. - Creators can offer: - One-time, one-click payments - Free experiences through Figma’s payment API - Direct user access without emailing files or managing license keys - Improved analytics and tracking will help creators measure reach and impact. - Consumers will benefit from clearer paid-versus-free labels, direct purchasing, and try-before-you-buy options. ## The Figma Creator Fund - The Creator Fund will provide grants to people who make free resources for Figma Community. - It is intended to balance two important goals: - Keeping resources accessible to consumers - Compensating creators for the time and effort required to produce quality work - The fund reflects Figma’s belief that creators should be able to give back without relying solely on unpaid labor or “exposure.” ## Building the Next Generation of Community Work - Figma hopes the new tools will encourage creators to develop plugins, icon sets, design systems, and other resources. - Feedback, feature requests, and bug reports remain part of the collaborative process. - The company frames these changes as an early step toward making Figma Community more sustainable and creatively ambitious. Figma’s recommendation is implicit: creators should continue sharing openly, but should also be able to charge for their work or receive support when they provide free resources. The new selling tools and Creator Fund aim to make that balance practical.

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figmaSep 12, 2021

Announcing Schema, Figma’s design systems conference | Figma Blog (opens in new tab)

Figma announced Schema, a virtual conference dedicated to building, scaling, and contributing to design systems. The event reflects the shift from static, siloed style guides toward collaborative tools, shared visibility, and cross-functional participation. Schema aims to help practitioners exchange practical lessons while recognizing that organizations of every size are still refining their systems. ## The Evolution of Design Systems - Early design-system workflows relied on PDF style guides and developers translating design decisions into code. - These processes were often separated across teams and tools, making collaboration and alignment difficult. - Modern systems emphasize collaboration, visibility, flexible tooling, and shared understanding. - Design systems now involve contributors beyond traditional design roles, including developers and other design-adjacent collaborators. ## Why Figma Created Schema - Design systems include more than libraries, components, and styles. - Successful systems also depend on: - Clear communication - Measurement and demonstrating impact - Community participation - Processes that encourage contribution - Figma wanted to create a space where practitioners could share how they build and manage systems at different organizational scales. ## Event Details and Audience - Schema was scheduled for October 7, 2021, at 8:30 a.m. PT. - The conference was entirely virtual. - It targeted: - Design systems and design operations leaders - Teams formalizing their first design system - Organizations managing systems at scale - Teams extending Figma workflows through APIs, plugins, and custom tooling - Live attendance was limited, with applications accepted through October 4. Talks were also planned for free release in the Figma Community. ## Conference Themes - **Build:** Practical approaches to creating design systems of different sizes. - **Scale:** Strategies for adoption, measuring return on investment, and expanding system capabilities through tools and plugins. - **Contribute:** Methods for developing internal communities and empowering teams to improve the system. Schema was positioned as an opportunity for practitioners to learn from companies both large and small. Its central recommendation is that design systems should be treated as collaborative, evolving products supported by communication, measurement, tooling, and broad participation.

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figmaApr 17, 2018

5 steps to nailing your portfolio presentation in design interviews | Figma Blog (opens in new tab)

A strong portfolio presentation is less about showing every project and more about communicating your strengths clearly and engagingly. New designers often lose interviewers by starting too ambitiously, overexplaining complex work, or failing to clarify their individual contribution. The article recommends presenting authentic projects with a simple structure, while avoiding attempts to imitate the interviewing company’s brand. ## Start with a Clear Introduction - Begin slowly by stating your name and primary design strength. - Focus on the area that best distinguishes you, such as: - Typography - UX/UI design - Communications design - Motion graphics - Front-end development - Acknowledge other skills without presenting yourself as an expert in everything. - Experienced designers with broad expertise can instead emphasize their range. ## Lead with Work You Care About - Choose the project you loved most rather than the one that took the longest. - Passionate, playful projects tend to feel more authentic. - These projects reveal your design sensibility and personality more effectively than large, overly complicated assignments. - Save secondary or less personally meaningful work for later. ## Explain Each Project with the Four Ws Keep project explanations concise. Provide the context, problem, process, outcome, and then allow interviewers to ask for more detail. - **What:** Briefly explain what the project is, using language accessible to everyone in the room. - **Who:** Clearly identify your role and distinguish your contribution from that of teammates. - **Why:** Describe the problem or need the project addressed, especially for work created for a client or organization. - **Where:** Explain how the design was used and what impact it had. Include metrics such as signups or other results when possible. - If the project was never implemented, explain how it might have created value. ## Be Careful with the Interviewing Company’s Brand - Using the company’s visual identity in your presentation may seem flattering, but it can easily become inappropriate. - You may not know the company’s brand guidelines and could unintentionally misrepresent its design system. - The designers who created the company’s branding may be among the people interviewing you, making inaccurate imitation especially risky. A successful portfolio presentation should be focused, personal, and easy to follow. Lead with work that reflects genuine enthusiasm, explain your role and results plainly, and let the interview panel guide deeper discussion through questions.

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figmaOct 29, 2017

How Inneract Project empowers brown and black designers | Figma Blog (opens in new tab)

The article highlights ten UI/UX design internships recommended by Figma users, arguing that the best programs offer meaningful design work, mentorship, user research, and opportunities to learn—not merely perks or high compensation. Across companies ranging from Shopify and Facebook to Hotels.ng and Palantir, interns are given varying degrees of responsibility, collaboration, and professional guidance. The strongest internships help students build practical skills and often lead to full-time employment. ## What Makes an Internship Valuable? - Respondents valued opportunities to practice design, conduct real user testing, and learn from experienced professionals. - Mentorship was a recurring theme: - Shopify assigns every intern a staff mentor. - Spotify provides interns with a designated mentor or manager. - Perks such as catered meals, generous stipends, travel credits, and office amenities were appreciated but considered secondary to meaningful work and learning. ## Shopify - Places interns on cross-functional teams to develop communication and collaboration skills. - Design interns work on deployable products, including Timeline. - Approximately 80% of interns reportedly return to Shopify or become full-time employees. - Strong emphasis on individual mentorship. ## Hotels.ng - Offers a remote, paid UI/UX internship for Nigerian residents through a partnership with the Akwa Ibom State government. - Interns must complete assigned tasks successfully to remain in the program. - The program lasts three months. - Many graduates receive full-time offers from Hotels.ng or other local companies. ## Facebook - Provides a reported average stipend of about $5,600 per month. - Interns receive substantial responsibility and are treated similarly to full-time employees. - The work environment is described as resembling an intensive “college campus.” ## Spotify - Runs a ten-week program organized into close-knit squads and two-week sprints. - Interns are treated as “band members,” reinforcing the company’s collaborative culture. - The product design program is highly design-focused, with strong expectations for visual craft. - Mentorship and free food are notable parts of the experience. ## Salesforce - Its Futureforce program gives interns meaningful projects and opportunities to learn design systems. - Interns participate in social events with executives and receive up to seven days of Volunteer Time Off. - The program combines professional development with networking and community activities. ## Uber - Offers health benefits, unlimited vacation, and Uber credits. - Interns work in an intense but rewarding environment. - Product design interns may have direct access to senior leaders, whose willingness to listen can give interns significant influence. ## IBM - Austin’s Maelstrom program guides roughly 15 young designers through four tracks: - Design research - Visual design - UX design - Front-end development - Program leaders attribute its success partly to an emphasis on emotional intelligence. ## Airbnb - Known for a strong design culture, influenced in part by its designer co-founders. - Offers a close-knit, progressive, and innovative work environment. - Interns receive travel credits and access to extensive employee perks. - The company was ranked highly as a workplace in 2016. ## Square - Gives interns flexibility to explore different types of design problems as their interests develop. - Recognized for efforts to address gender inequality in technology. - Interns may work beyond conventional UI design, with opportunities to approach problems creatively and artistically. ## Palantir - Product design interns focus on solving complex problems rather than making minor visual adjustments. - The company’s open-source Blueprint style guide reduces repetitive interface work. - The program emphasizes product thinking and meaningful design challenges. ## Practical Takeaway When evaluating internships, prioritize mentorship, real product responsibility, cross-functional collaboration, and opportunities to learn from feedback. Compensation and perks are useful, but a program that develops practical design skills and provides a path to future employment is likely to have the greatest long-term value.

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figmaOct 25, 2017

Figma Now Integrates with Zeplin | Figma Blog (opens in new tab)

Figma announced a Zeplin integration to make it easier for teams to move designs into a developer-focused handoff workflow. The integration supports teams using different design and development processes, allowing Figma frames to be exported directly into Zeplin. However, unlike Figma’s always-current code mode, designs must be re-exported whenever the original Figma file changes. ## Supporting Flexible Design Workflows - Teams use different tools and processes to design, prototype, and build digital products. - Figma aims to support these workflows through integrations with complementary tools. - Zeplin is focused specifically on the developer experience, presenting design specifications and assets in an accessible format for engineers. ## Exporting Figma Designs to Zeplin The integration can be enabled through the following workflow: - Download Zeplin and create a project. - Enable Zeplin in Figma through **Menu → Integrations → Zeplin**. - Create and select a frame in Figma. - Choose **Export**, then select **Export to Zeplin**. - Zeplin opens automatically, where the user can select **Import**. - The exported Figma design then becomes available for viewing in Zeplin. ## Important Workflow Limitation - Exported designs are not automatically synchronized with Figma. - Any updates made to the original Figma design require another export to Zeplin. - This differs from Figma’s code mode, where developers always see the latest design assets. Figma presents the integration as part of its broader effort to help design and engineering teams collaborate more efficiently. Teams that rely on Zeplin can now incorporate Figma into their existing handoff process, provided they remember to re-export designs after changes.

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