Behind the Plugins: Matt DesLauriers, Generative Artist & Creative Coder | Figma Blog (opens in new tab)
Matt DesLauriers combines programming and visual art to create generative systems that produce evolving, often unexpected imagery. He sees code as a creative tool that collaborates with the artist, expanding what humans can imagine and execute. His Figma plugins aim to make generative art and creative coding more accessible while encouraging designers and developers to cross traditional boundaries. ## Discovering Generative Art - DesLauriers developed an interest in both art and programming during childhood, often modifying and redesigning games instead of simply playing them. - In 2014, he began creating JavaScript demos in the browser. - These demos generated images that changed over time, introducing him to emergence—the idea that complex artwork can arise from simple rules and parameters. ## Building Interactive Works - One of his proudest projects is **LUMOS**, an interactive light sculpture created with Jean-Michel Gariepy and Steven Mengin. - The sculpture was displayed in Toronto during Ontario Place Park’s 2018 Winter Light Exhibition. - The project reflects his interest in combining code, physical environments, and public art. ## Code as a Creative Medium - DesLauriers compares code to a brush or pen: a tool for communicating ideas to a machine. - Computers can execute instructions and repeat processes millions of times without tiring. - This collaboration can overcome human limitations and produce surprising results, including unexpected ideas caused by coding errors. - His workshops and writing help others explore the connection between artistic expression and programming. ## Figma Plugins for Creative Exploration - DesLauriers is developing plugins for animation, image palette generation, and parametric design. - He hopes the tools will help designers experiment with code and developers explore design. - His broader goal is to make creative coding and generative art approachable for both programmers and non-programmers. - He particularly appreciates small usability features in Figma, such as evaluating mathematical expressions like `25 / 2` directly in numeric fields. ## A More Open Design Industry - DesLauriers advocates for tools that are open, hackable, and experimental. - He believes the boundaries between designers, coders, artists, and other creative professionals should become less rigid. - His plugins represent that philosophy by bringing computational experimentation into a familiar design environment. His work suggests that creative tools should encourage experimentation rather than separate design from technology. By making generative techniques easier to use, plugins can help more people treat code as a medium for visual expression.