If you work in the design field, Figma is undoubtedly familiar to you. Here’s how to use this design tool in the beginning.
There is fierce competition in the large and competitive world of graphic design software. One design tool that UX/UI designers worldwide are vying for supremacy is called Figma. But how well-versed are you in this user-friendly tool?
It’s basic, but if you’re coming from other design tools, there’s a learning curve. Let’s learn Figma and its use.
What Is Figma? A Beginner’s Guide
You’ve probably heard of Figma if you’ve worked as a web or graphic designer in the last several years. Perhaps you’ve even put it to use.
Digital designers are increasingly favoring the design application Figma over alternatives such as Adobe XD, Adobe Photoshop, and Sketch for various tasks like site design. However since Adobe bought Figma in 2022, there might be some adjustments that cause the ranking to be rearranged.
Figma has a wide range of applications. The main application for it is in digital design; CMYK cannot be utilized for print design. Among the principal applications of Figma are:
- Design prototyping for UX/UI
- Web design
- Presentation design
- App design
Plugins for Figma mockups can be used to showcase your designs, and you can also use them to create master templates for Figma designs, which can save you time on recurring design tasks.
What Is the Price of Figma?
By using the Figma app or visiting the Figma website, you can easily create a free account. Every component of the app’s design is functional for free users. You can use Figma’s collaborative tool, FigJam, to learn UX design.
The Free Forever edition of Figma is practically ideal if you use it as a hobby or as a one-person freelance business. You can still use Figma on all platforms, invite an infinite number of colleagues, use an infinite number of personal files, and access all of the plugins.
The Essentials of Using Figma
You can follow along with ease whether you use the web version or the Figma app. You can start a new Figma file, a new FigJam file, or import a file created in another application, like Sketch or Adobe XD when you launch Figma. You can open and work on your prior Figma projects if you have experience with the platform.
Getting Around in the Figma Workspace
At first, opening a new file seems uninspired. In contrast to many other design tools, you begin with a completely blank design page instead of your artboard or canvas. It won’t remain vacant for long, though, with an inspired mind.
The Figma logo serves as the Main Menu symbol at the upper left of the horizontal menu. By choosing the Main Menu, you can access plugins, widgets, libraries, usual file choices, Figma quick actions, Figma resources, and other files you have saved.
The Move tool (V) and the Scale tool (K) are the next tools you’ll find. You can scale up or down certain portions of your design or move things around using these tools. The Region tools, Frame (F), Section, and Slice, are tucked away to the right of these tools.
The Menu for Figma Design
Once a frame has been sketched, choosing its title makes the frame active and ready for creation. Design, Prototype, and Inspect have titles displayed on the right-hand menu. The menu you’ll use to design the items on your frame is called Design, as the name would imply.
The Design menu is a little basic at first, but as you build your design, the menu selections change. First, alignment tools, size tools, Auto layout, Layout grid, Layer, Fill, Stroke, Effects, and Export are listed in a top-to-bottom menu. Some of them are minimized by default, but you can open any menu by clicking the + sign, or you may hit – to shrink any menu.
The Menu Prototype for Figma
The Prototype menu is located to the right of the Design menu choice. Using the prototype tools, you may add animations and transitions to your designs once you’ve completed the visual elements and placed image boxes and text where they go.
You can create transitions between frames or components by using the Prototype menu. The sequence in which the frames change from one to the next is up to you.
This is wonderful if you’re creating an animated Figma presentation where slides transition into one another, but the tool also makes it very easy to envision button or menu animations for web and app design. You can add several transitions to each page for a variety of purposes, allowing you to test how users will interact with your live website.
It’s Simple to Get Started With Figma
You now understand how to use the fundamental design and prototype tools as well as traverse the Figma layout. Now that Figma is so accessible, go play around with this design tool and see what you can come up with.
With over a decade in the tech field, Bogdan blends technical expertise with insights on business innovation in technology.
A regular contributor to TMS Outsource's blog, where you'll find sharp analyses on software development, tech business strategies, and global tech dynamics.
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