Google Meet | Techlist.io

figmaJun 19, 20232 min readCurated summary

Introducing Shortcut letter from the editor | Figma Blog

Shortcut is Figma’s redesigned blog, created to tell richer stories about the people, processes, and ideas behind new products. Its central philosophy mirrors Figma itself: collaboration, experimentation, and the way user input transforms tools over time. The new experience aims to make content more immersive, discoverable, and inspiring rather than static or one-directional. ## A Blog Built Around Collaboration and Play - Figma compares product development to games, where people create “house rules” and shortcuts to improve shared experiences. - This idea reflects Figma’s history as a web-based, multiplayer design tool. - Although collaborative editing initially seemed risky, user behavior and community feedback helped shape Figma’s evolution. - Shortcut will showcase how teams and users bring collaborative design to life through stories about process, craft, and problem-solving. ## A More Immersive Content Experience - The blog redesign replaces a static reading experience with a more dynamic and visually engaging one. - New articles cover: - Design systems - Engineering - Product design and development - Company culture - Behind-the-scenes work - Technical explorations - Examples include stories about Linear responding to a DDoS attack, font failures, and how Figma’s engineers draw inspiration from gaming. ## Improved Navigation and Visual Identity - Readers can sort content by topic and browse curated special collections. - Shortcut features new illustrations and motion work from a range of independent artists. - The redesign treats editorial design, animation, and artwork as essential parts of the storytelling experience. - Figma also invites writers, designers, and other creatives to collaborate with its editorial team. ## Inspiration Through Shared Ideas - Shortcut is built around “input for output”: one idea should lead to another, with inspiration moving in both directions. - The blog aims to encourage readers—and Figma’s own teams—to experiment, share ideas, and have more fun. - Stories range from curated series such as the Future of Design Systems to opinion essays, technical deep dives, and unexpected examples like a band using a Figma slide deck to relaunch its career. Shortcut positions Figma’s blog as an extension of its collaborative product philosophy: a place where stories, disciplines, and perspectives connect to inspire new possibilities.

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Google Meet Figma Design Systems Product Design+2

figmaMay 25, 20234 min readCurated summary

How a Figma Slide Deck Helped Indie Rock Duo Tanlines Launch a Comeback | Figma | Figma Blog

Tanlines’ comeback album, *The Big Mess*, grew out of Jesse Cohen and Eric Emm’s changing lives as parents, professionals, and musicians. To promote the album’s first single, “Outer Banks,” they turned a corporate presentation deck into a music video, using Figma and Google Meet to parody workplace communication while expressing the song’s emotional themes. The project shows how familiar professional tools can become creative, collaborative artistic formats. ## Returning to Tanlines - Cohen and Emm have made music together since 2008, evolving from experimental electronic work and remixes into pop music. - After the band’s second album, Cohen stepped away to raise his first child and later made a children’s record. - Emm eventually assembled songs that became the foundation for *The Big Mess*, and Cohen helped finish them during a working trip to rural Connecticut. - Cohen now views Tanlines as an ongoing life project, similar to the documentary series *7 Up*, revisiting the band as their circumstances change. ## Turning a Corporate Deck into a Music Video - Cohen’s years at YouTube Music and Nike introduced him to decks and meetings as a dominant form of professional communication. - He wanted to tell the story of “Outer Banks” using that shared workplace language. - Former coworker Hunter Ellenbarger created the presentation in Figma. - The original idea was to make a deck for every song and release them through Google Drive or a Figma folder. - Hunter’s deck was strong enough to become the centerpiece of the video, with Emm singing the lyrics as though he were reading the presentation aloud. - Presenting the Figma deck through Google Meet reinforced the joke and connected the video to remote-work culture. ## Making the Deck Feel Authentically Corporate - Cohen’s initial design leaned toward Nike’s polished, editorial presentation style. - Ellenbarger deliberately made the visuals more generic, using: - Graphs and arrows - Flow charts - Corporate phrases such as “insights,” “year over year,” and “results” - Inspirational quotes and familiar meeting-slide conventions - The overly recognizable format creates both humor and emotional resonance for viewers accustomed to workplace presentations. ## The Emotional Meaning of “Outer Banks” - The song references North Carolina’s Outer Banks, a place Cohen has visited throughout his life. - Rather than presenting the beach as a carefree party setting, the song explores memory, family, and mixed emotions. - Its upbeat sound carries a melancholy undertone, consistent with Tanlines’ recurring balance of light and darkness. - The video reframes an ordinary corporate tool as a medium for music, art, and humor, allowing professional audiences to feel recognized rather than mocked. ## Building a New Visual Identity - Longtime collaborator Teddy Blanks helped shape the album packaging, promotional poster, and merchandise. - The visual material draws on 1950s photographs taken in Greece by Emm’s wife’s grandfather while documenting folk tales and songs. - The new artwork moves away from the band’s earlier practice of featuring the musicians’ faces on album covers. - Blanks’ simple, clear design choices support the sense that *The Big Mess* represents a new era for the band. ## Embracing Change and Uncertainty - Cohen describes “aging gracefully” as adapting creative expression to new responsibilities and circumstances. - Returning to music was unexpected but allowed him to reconnect with an important part of his identity. - Unlike earlier album cycles, the band’s future is less predictable, with more uncertainty around touring, work, family, and sustaining a music career in middle age. The project suggests that creative work does not need to reject familiar professional formats; it can transform them. By combining Figma’s collaborative presentation tools, Google Meet’s remote setting, and the language of corporate decks, Tanlines made a comeback video that was both a workplace satire and a sincere reflection on adult life.

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Google Meet Figma Remote Collaboration Digital Presentation+1