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AMA: Framer Team on the all-new Framer and Auto-Code

over 7 years ago from Brittany Gregory, Content Strategist at Framer

  • Matthew BlodeMatthew Blode, over 7 years ago

    Hi Framer team, First off I'm going to say that I haven't bought Framer Studio and I just got the beta after you released auto-code. It is incredible! The learning curve is relatively steep but after the 8 hours of the trial was up, I had the hang of everything.

    1. What are the benefits of Framer over flinto, principle, and the the myriad of new prototyping tools popping up every second week?

    2. Is $120 worth it for Framer studio when Framer.js is open source?

    3. Is framerJs' auto-code intended for designers to not use sketch or Photoshop but rather to visually design entirely within Framer?

    4. I see a couple of months ago that you made Cactus and Blueprint free. What else does the team work on now? Is it exclusively on Framer studio?

    5. What tips/guru life lessons would you give to a 17 year old in his last year of high school?

    6. Is a college degree necessary for getting a job at Framer or other similar companies?

    Thank you so much! I love your incredible software! (You don't have to answer all of them if you don't want to)

    19 points
    • Jorn van Dijk, over 7 years ago (edited over 7 years ago )

      Hey Matthew, glad to hear you like Auto-Code. Let's have a look at your questions.

      1. Different tools serve different purposes, they all have pros and cons. I like that the design tool landscape finally offers alternatives. Try them all and see what works best for you. In terms of benefits vs other tools, learning curve vs flexibility comes to mind. Framer has a bit of a learning curve (code) but has virtually no limit as to what you can achieve. Invest a bit in it and you’ll get greater results back as you progress in coding. Other tools offer a lower learning curve, but are limited by the UI as to what you can build.

      2. Hell yeah! The Framer Library is what drives everything, but you’d miss out on Auto-Complete, Auto-Code, Direct Manipulation, Docs, Error Handling, the list goes on.

      3. Not entirely. But we do think that it offers a nice alternative to the very basics of those tools. Quick example: if you want to design a mobile lay-out, you should probably consider how that looks across devices. That’s relatively easy with Framer. You’d just set the width of an object to the width of the screen. And then switch devices to see how it looks.

      4. We’re solely focussed on Framer.

      5. Assuming you want to do design: make as much as you can. Figure out what you love doing and then do that, forever.

      6. Nope. The only thing that counts is your work and what you can do.

      For sure! I did end up answering all of them. Hope its insightful for you.

      6 points
    • Koen Bok, over 7 years ago

      Also for 5, my favorite tip is: start many side projects and at least finish some. Preferably with other good people.

      4 points
    • Benjamin den BoerBenjamin den Boer, over 7 years ago

      In addition to #5 — surrounding yourself with the right people who can (and are willing to) help you grow can be tremendously valuable as well. :-)

      3 points
      • Koen Bok, over 7 years ago

        Yeah to make this more practical, and having worked at startups and big tech, there is a big difference.

        In a great startup you learn on a deep and personal level, almost like an apprenticeship. You will get more honest and insightful feedback over a long timeline of multiple projects.

        In big tech you learn a lot of small bits from many different people, it's more up to you to turn it into great work.

        1 point
    • Edwin van Rijkom, over 7 years ago

      Re. 3, we think that code is a very powerful tool in the hands of designers, but tweaking plain layer and state properties is much easier when done through direct manipulation, or using a property panel. So it felt like a natural next step to start exploring this direction further, trying to merge the best of both worlds.

      1 point