Figma Interface Basics

1. Canvas

The canvas in Figma is the primary workspace where you design your projects. It is an infinite, zoomable area where you can place and manipulate your design elements. Think of it as a digital drawing board where you can create, edit, and arrange your designs.

Example: If you were designing a website layout, the canvas would be the space where you place all the elements like buttons, text, and images.

2. Frames

Frames in Figma are containers that define the boundaries of your design. Each frame can represent a different screen or section of your design. They act as a viewport, helping you organize and structure your content. Frames can be resized, nested, and even duplicated to create variations of your design.

Example: When designing a mobile app, each screen (e.g., Home, Settings, Profile) would be a separate frame within the canvas.

3. Layers

Layers in Figma represent individual elements within your design. They are organized in a hierarchical structure, allowing you to manage and edit specific parts of your design. Layers can be grouped, duplicated, and reordered to streamline your workflow.

Example: If you have a button with text and an icon, each of these elements would be a separate layer within the button frame.

4. Tools and Panels

Figma's interface includes various tools and panels that assist in the design process. These include the toolbar on the left, the properties panel on the right, and the layers panel at the bottom. The toolbar provides access to tools like the selection tool, text tool, and shape tools. The properties panel allows you to adjust the properties of selected elements, such as color, size, and alignment. The layers panel helps you manage and navigate through your design's layers.

Example: Using the shape tool from the toolbar, you can draw a rectangle on the canvas. The properties panel will then allow you to change its color, size, and position.

5. Collaboration Features

Figma's real-time collaboration features allow multiple users to work on the same project simultaneously. This includes commenting, co-editing, and version history. Comments can be added directly to the canvas, making it easy to provide feedback and discuss design decisions. Co-editing allows team members to see each other's changes in real-time, fostering a collaborative environment.

Example: If you and a colleague are working on a website design, you can both edit the same frame at the same time, with changes appearing instantly on each other's screens.