Bring real content into your designs in seconds | Figma Blog (opens in new tab)
Designing with realistic content helps teams stress-test layouts and better predict how interfaces will look in production. This 2019 Figma article highlights plugins that populate designs with text, images, maps, and custom data, reducing the need for manual entry. It concludes that real or organization-specific data can improve accuracy, while private plugins support sensitive internal information. ## Google Sheets Sync - Syncs spreadsheet data directly into Figma layers. - Uses unique column headers such as `Name` or `Address`. - Layers reference columns with names like `#Name` and `#Address`. - Supports formulas and future spreadsheet updates. - Can use image URLs to populate image fills. ## Unsplash - Provides access to more than one million free, high-resolution photographs. - Users can browse categories, select random images, or search the collection. - Images can be inserted directly onto the canvas or applied as image fills to selected elements. ## Data Lab - Populates text using customizable variables such as `{NAME}`, `{EMAIL}`, and `{DATE}`. - Variables can be combined into formatted strings, for example `{NAME} · {EMAIL}`. - Supports names, numbers, dates, phone numbers, emails, and comma-separated lists. ## Content Reel - Includes names, phone numbers, addresses, numbers, emails, URLs, companies, usernames, and countries. - Offers drag-and-drop customization for formatting data, including address fields and comma placement. - Provides access to the Segoe MDL2 icon library. - Its compact mode keeps the plugin available without taking up much workspace. - Planned image-content support would extend it to profile pictures and similar assets. ## Mapsicle - Adds Mapbox maps as image fills inside selected design elements. - Supports custom Mapbox themes and presets such as Light, Dark, Satellite, and Streets. - Allows control over zoom, pitch, and camera rotation. - Existing maps can be refreshed for new dimensions while preserving zoom settings. - Maps placed inside scrolling frames can support horizontal and vertical panning in prototypes. - A Mapbox access token is especially useful for custom themes. Using realistic content makes mockups more credible and exposes layout problems earlier. For sensitive or proprietary data, teams on Figma’s Organization plan can create private plugins connected to internal APIs.