I believed Figma was only for UI designers till I began utilizing it for every thing else

I at all times thought Figma was just for designing apps and web sites, so I ignored it for a very long time. Instead, I relied on Photoshop for visible design work, which served me simply superb, however it felt like overkill for the easy creatives I wished to construct.

It wasn’t till I used to be tasked with constructing advertising and marketing media for a trekking firm that somebody really useful I create it in Figma, and, because it turned out, it was precisely this system I ought to have been utilizing all alongside.

My first mission wasn’t an app or web site

Building a easy social media advert made me begin enthusiastic about layouts

I used to be first requested to create an advert for a good friend’s Instagram marketing campaign, promoting his trekking firm, full with typography, gradients, icons, and phone info. What at first felt daunting fell collectively remarkably rapidly, and even somebody with primary expertise like me discovered it intuitive and, dare I say, enjoyable to make use of.

What impressed me most was how simple it was to align components. Smart guides appeared mechanically, every ingredient was highlighted when correctly aligned, and transferring objects round by no means felt irritating like it will probably in different publishing software program. Instead of manually nudging textual content containers pixel by pixel, Figma snaps every thing into the correct spacing, encouraging consistency with out me having to consider it.

Once I had accomplished the advert (with satisfying outcomes for a primary try), I turned numerous components into reusable parts. That meant I might duplicate the design into completely different sizes with out rebuilding every thing from scratch.

Creating a brochure was simplicity itself

My subsequent process was much more bold, but additionally pleasurable

Based on the success of my flyer, I used to be subsequent requested to create a commerce brochure for promoting the corporate to global journey companies. This felt much more daunting than a easy Instagram flyer, however I mentioned I’d give it a go.

Before lengthy, I created a template with dummy copy, design components, a shade palette, and house for photos. By the time I had sourced dramatic Andean photos for numerous actions and locations, I felt midway there. Within a few hours, the brochure had began to take form.

Everything labored higher than I anticipated. When I modified headlines or changed shorter paragraphs with longer ones, the encircling components adjusted mechanically as an alternative of overlapping. Images stayed aligned, spacing remained constant, and I spent far much less time fixing layouts than I anticipated.

The Pages panel makes multi-page tasks really feel organized. Instead of juggling dozens of separate recordsdata, every thing lives in a single workspace the place it is easy to duplicate, rename, and rearrange pages. For a mission like this with a number of pages, this saved appreciable time and power.

The free model goes additional than I anticipated

Figma turned my alternative for a number of inventive apps

I wrongly assumed that Figma would require an costly subscription. As it turned out, for particular person tasks, the free plan is ample to create shiny advertising and marketing supplies, export high-resolution PNGs, and even produce print-ready PDFs. Unless you are working with a big group, I’d say it is fully potential to make use of Figma with out paying something.

Since that first flyer and brochure, I’ve used Figma for every thing from presentation slides and PDF guides to web site banners and easy social media campaigns. The potential to work with vectors, photos, textual content, and reusable kinds inside one mission makes it really feel extra like a inventive workspace, with the additional advantage of being very user-friendly.

For UI design involving format, typography, shade, and visible hierarchy, Figma ticks most containers, and the identical ideas apply whether or not you are designing an app, a live performance flyer, a journey brochure, or a restaurant menu.

Where Figma nonetheless falls quick

While it does many issues very effectively, Figma nonetheless has its limitations

After constructing the Andes Adventure brochure, I got here away impressed by Figma’s talents, however I additionally realized it fell quick at instances compared with dedicated creative software.

The greatest limitation is in picture enhancing. While Figma helps you to crop, masks, and apply primary picture changes, it is nowhere close to Photoshop for retouching, eradicating objects, shade grading, or working with advanced choices. Additionally, Figma is constructed round RGB digital design, so it falls in need of CMYK-supported publishing software program for creating skilled, print-ready supplies.

That mentioned, for many brochures, social media graphics, shows, and advertising and marketing belongings I create, these limitations seldom outweigh Figma’s pace, simplicity, and comfort.

There’s rather more to Figma than I first anticipated

Figma may not be a one-size-fits-all solution, however for me it covers most bases. The mixture of intuitive layouts, reusable parts, Auto Layout, and straightforward web page administration makes it simply as comfy to create advertising and marketing supplies as digital interfaces. For anybody trying to design professional-looking creatives for on-line publication and advertising and marketing with out first studying skilled software program, I’d suggest Figma with out hesitation.