Figma, a powerful design tool, employs a plethora of common terms crucial for mastering its functionalities. An "Artboard" is a design canvas, while "Frames" organize elements within it. "Components" are reusable design units, while "Instances" are their derivatives. The "Prototype" feature enables interactive user experiences. "Layers" comprise individual elements, "Groups" hold them collectively. "Masks" hide portions, "Gradients" blend colors. "Alignment" and "Distribute" ensure precision, "Grids" and "Guides" provide layout structure. "Plugins" extend functionality, "Export" saves assets. "Master Components" govern instances, fostering consistency. "Auto Layout" aids responsive design. These "Terms" form the vocabulary for crafting seamless and user-centric designs in the Figma environment.
Here's
a more detailed explanation of the terms commonly used in the Figma design
tool:
1. Artboard:
A canvas or workspace where you design your user interface. It represents a
specific screen or page within your design project.
2. Canvas:
The larger area within Figma where you arrange and design your artboards and
other design elements.
3. Frame:
A container that holds design elements such as layers, groups, and components.
Frames help organize your design and can be used to define areas of focus.
4. Layer:
A single element within a design, such as text, shapes, images, etc. Layers are
organized hierarchically to help manage and structure your design.
5. Group:
A collection of multiple layers or objects grouped together. Groups can be used
to organize and manipulate multiple elements at once.
6. Component:
A reusable design element that can be used throughout your project. Changes
made to the master component will be reflected in all instances of that
component.
7. Instance:
A copy of a master component with the ability to have unique overrides for
specific properties while still inheriting most attributes from the master
component.
8. Master Component: The original component that serves as a
template. Changes made to the master component affect all instances of that
component.
9. Prototype:
Creating interactive links between different frames or artboards to simulate user
interactions and flow within your design.
10.
Wireframe: A low-fidelity, simplified visual
representation of a design that outlines the basic structure and content
without focusing on visual details.
11.
Vector: Graphics created using mathematical formulas,
allowing them to be resized without loss of quality.
12.
Shape: Basic design elements like rectangles,
circles, and triangles used to create visual components.
13.
Text: Typography elements that can be added to your
design, allowing you to communicate information to users.
14.
Image: Visual content that you can add to your
design, such as photos, illustrations, icons, etc.
15.
Export: The process of saving or generating design
assets (like images) from your Figma project for use in development or other
contexts.
16.
Mask: A layer that defines the visible area of
another layer, allowing you to create various effects and crop visuals.
17.
Gradient: A gradual blend between two or more colors,
creating a smooth transition.
18.
Fill: The interior color or pattern of a shape or
text box.
19.
Stroke: The outline or border of a shape or text,
which can be customized in terms of color, thickness, and style.
20.
Alignment: Arranging elements in relation to each other
or a specific point to ensure consistency and visual harmony.
21.
Distribute: Evenly spacing out multiple elements
horizontally or vertically.
22.
Grid: A visual layout guide that helps you align
and organize design elements on the canvas.
23.
Guides: Horizontal or vertical lines used as visual
guides to help align and position elements accurately.
24.
Pixels: The smallest unit of measurement in digital
design, used to define the size and position of elements.
25.
Zoom: Adjusting the view to make elements appear
larger or smaller on the canvas.
26.
Transform: Changing the size, rotation, or position of
an element.
27.
Rotate: Changing the angle of an element.
28.
Duplicate: Creating a copy of an element or group of
elements.
29.
Undo: Reverting the most recent action.
30.
Redo: Reapplying an action that was previously
undone.
31.
Layers
Panel: A panel that displays the layers
within your design, allowing you to manage their hierarchy and properties.
32.
Properties
Panel: A panel that shows the properties and
attributes of the selected design element, such as its size, position, color,
etc.
33.
Assets
Panel: A panel where you can store and
manage design assets, such as colors, text styles, and components.
34.
Libraries: Collections of design assets (like components
and styles) that can be shared and reused across different projects.
35.
Constraints: Rules that define how elements within a
layout behave when the layout is resized.
36.
Auto Layout: A feature that automatically adjusts the
layout and positioning of elements as you resize the frame.
37.
Interactive: Design elements that users can interact with,
such as buttons or links.
38.
Click-through: An interactive area that allows users to
click on elements behind it.
39.
Hover: An interaction that occurs when a user hovers
their cursor over an element.
40.
Prototype
Link: A link between frames that simulates
user navigation through your design.
41.
Transition: The animation or effect that occurs when
navigating between frames.
42.
Animation: Adding movement and effects to design
elements to create a dynamic user experience.
43.
Easing: The rate of acceleration or deceleration of
an animation, affecting its smoothness.
44.
Overlay: A layer or frame that is shown on top of
another frame during interactions.
45.
Comment: Notes or annotations that can be added to
specific elements or areas in the design to provide feedback or instructions.
46.
Collaboration: The ability to work on a design project
simultaneously with other team members.
47.
Version
History: A record of changes made to a design,
allowing you to revert to previous versions if needed.
48.
Shared
Styles: Consistent design attributes that can
be applied to multiple elements, ensuring visual consistency.
49.
Typography: The use of fonts, sizes, and spacing to style
text in a visually appealing way.
50.
Color
Palette: A collection of colors that are used
consistently throughout your design.
51.
Swatch: A sample of a specific color, often used for
consistent color application.
52.
Export
Settings: Configuration options for exporting
design assets in various formats and sizes.
53.
Artboard
Background: The base layer
of an artboard where your design elements are placed.
54.
Plugins: Custom scripts or extensions that add extra
functionality to Figma.
55.
Plugin
Library: A collection of plugins available for
use within Figma.
56.
Developer
Handoff: The process of providing design
specifications and assets to developers for implementation.
57.
Design
Tokens: A set of design values (such as
colors, typography, spacing) stored in a standardized format for consistency
across design and development.
58.
Responsive
Design: Designing interfaces that adapt and
look good on different screen sizes and devices.
59.
Breakpoint: A specific screen size at which the layout of
a responsive design adjusts.
60.
Resizing: Changing the dimensions of an element while
maintaining its proportions.
61.
Inspector: A panel that provides detailed information
about the selected element's properties and attributes.
62.
Vector
Editing: The ability to modify vector-based
shapes and paths.
63.
Boolean
Operations: Combining or
subtracting shapes using operations like Union, Subtract, Intersect, and
Exclude.
64.
Smart
Selection: A feature that helps you select
multiple elements easily, even if they're partially covered by other elements.
65.
Slice: A defined area within an artboard that can be
exported separately.
66.
Vectorize: Converting raster images (pixels) into vector
graphics (mathematical formulas).
67.
Scissors
Tool: A tool that allows you to cut shapes
or paths.
68.
Pen Tool: A tool for creating custom shapes and paths
using anchor points and control handles.
69.
Masking: Using one layer to hide portions of another
layer.
70.
Opacity: The transparency of an element or layer.
71.
Blending
Modes: Effects applied to layers that
control how they interact with the layers below.
72.
Alignment
Guides: Visual cues that appear when you move
or resize elements, helping you align them accurately.
73.
Grid Layout: A layout structure based on rows and columns
to create organized designs.
74.
Pixel
Preview: A mode that shows how your design
will look at its actual pixel dimensions.
75.
Device
Preview: A feature that allows you to preview
your design on different devices and screen sizes.
76.
Smart
Animate: An animation feature that
automatically creates smooth transitions between frames.
77.
Fixed
Position: Elements that remain in a specific
position even when the user scrolls.
78.
Auto Height: Adjusting the height of a component or frame
automatically based on its content.
79.
Overflow
Behavior: How elements behave when their content
extends beyond their boundaries.
80.
Frame
Linking: Connecting frames together to create
interactive user flows.
81.
Background
Blur: Applying a blur effect to the
background of an element, often used for overlays or modals.
82.
Component
Library: A collection of components that can
be reused across multiple projects.
83.
Plugin API: The interface that allows developers to
create plugins for extending Figma's functionality.
84.
Symbols: An older term for components, representing
reusable design elements.
85.
UI Design: Designing user interfaces for digital
products or applications.
86.
User Flow: The path a user takes through a design or
application.
87.
Hi-Fi
Prototype: A high-fidelity prototype with
detailed visual and interactive elements.
88.
Low-Fi
Prototype: A low-fidelity prototype with basic
visual representations of elements.
89.
Hotspot: An interactive area that triggers a specific
action when clicked or interacted with.
90.
Color
Picker: A tool that allows you to select
colors from a palette or enter specific color values.
91.
Rescale: Changing the size of an element while
maintaining its proportions based on predefined ratios.
92.
SVG Export: Exporting elements or designs as scalable
vector graphics for use in web development.
93.
Code Export: Extracting design assets and specifications
for use in coding the actual user interface.
94.
Collaboration: The ability for multiple users to work
together on a design project simultaneously.
95.
Handoff: The process of transferring design assets,
specifications, and resources to developers for implementation.
96.
Constraints: Rules that define how elements respond to
changes in the layout, such as resizing.
97.
Layer
Styles: Preset visual attributes that can be
applied to layers for consistent styling.
98.
Grid Styles: Preset grid layouts that can be applied to
frames for consistent alignment.
99.
Inspect
Mode: A mode that developers can use to
view design specifications and assets for implementation.
Please
note that Figma's features and terminology may evolve over time, so it's a good
idea to refer to the official Figma documentation or resources for the most
current information.
