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AMA: Figma 2.0

6 years ago from Dylan Field, CEO at Figma

  • Evan CancelliereEvan Cancelliere, 6 years ago

    Hi Dylan,

    With a strong background in development, I feel that I'm in a unique position to 'design in code', and often choose to build prototypes with real development tools instead of design tools such as Sketch, Framer, or Figma.

    My hypothesis has become that a design made with real code will always be stronger in it's essence than one built on a canvas, albeit with weaker visuals.

    What are your opinions or thoughts on 'designing in code'?

    10 points
    • Dylan FieldDylan Field, 6 years ago

      Good question, and one I think about a lot.

      Personally, I don't see this as an "either or" proposition. Designers should pick whatever tool is best for the job. Long term, I see lots more designers using code as a tool, and I think we will see developers starting to do more work that today we might call "design" as well.

      One interesting trend I've noticed is that design is often used for communication of ideas. I think Figma is great for this because it's so lightweight; this is something I don't think will move to code anytime soon.

      I think it's great for designers to push engineers and vice versa; code is powerful but can also be limiting, especially if it reinforces existing constraints. Some of the best design work we've done at Figma (ex: vector networks) has been the result of designers and engineers working in close pairs and building off each other's ideas.

      9 points