Auto Layout 3 with a new look is here! Now we can control how objects are stretched and distributed within an Auto Layout frame, and set its padding values independently. This update brings Auto Layout even closer to Flexbox layouts in CSS, which is great for aligning code and design. The new UI took some folks by surprise, so take time to go through the links and learn how it works.

P.S. Today is the final day of the Black Friday & Cyber Monday sale of my book Designing in Figma. Right now, the ebook is available for only $15, which is almost 50% off! The book was already updated with Variants and other recent releases, and the next update will include the new Auto Layout. All future updates are free.

A year ago, I sent the first issue of this newsletter to 19 subscribers 🥳 I started it with zero expectations, but this year Figmalion affected my life in a meaningful way. I wrote a post about starting it, finding the audience (👋), getting sponsors, it’s role in self-publishing the book, and running it behind the scenes. Thank you for being with me this year!

Last week Figma released Variants, one of the key features announced in the keynote at Config Europe. Many teams already started updating their design systems, making them easier to use and implement in code. If you don’t know where to start, this issue includes a large overview of resources and tips on using them. (I was caught a little off guard by an early release and now working on updating the book. The free update should be available in the next few weeks.)

Don’t miss a tutorial on creating isometric illustrations, Figma55 video on supercharged boolean options, Anima 4.0 release, and a few interesting updates from the competitors. Enjoy the issue!

Last week, Figma published over 8 hours of video recordings from Config Europe, so get comfortable! Software engineer Jamie Wong shared a great story of debugging a sneaky bug in Figma. Roman Shamin from Evil Martians wrote an epic blog post on building an internal plugin to create and maintain a dynamic color system. So many artists and illustrators keep pushing the limits of what’s possible with Figma — check out their work in the Resources section!

I’m really happy to welcome Bravo Studio as a sponsor of this issue. I first wrote about them back in January, and last week they released a major new version. It’s mind-blowing that iOS and Android apps now can be created by connecting a Figma prototype to external APIs and services without writing any code. Check them out!

Figma celebrated four years since its public launch by releasing a few important quality-of-life updates. Fast Company named them a winner of the Innovation by Design award for enabling other businesses to work remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic. Marcin Wichary wrote an epic blog post on font fallbacks, which is worth finding time for. Last but not least, Friends of Figma have a great curated collection of artworks and illustrations made right in Figma. Enjoy the issue!

📘 My book ​“Designing in Figma” is finally here! 🙌 I started collecting material while working on the Figmalion almost a year ago, spent six months writing it, and another two illustrating, designing, and producing different versions. Lots of tips and tricks I previously included in the newsletter made it to the book. There are over 220 illustrations and screenshots inside! It’s available as an ebook (handcrafted PDF + EPUB) and a print-on-demand paperback from Amazon.

Right now, I’m running a limited-time launch price on an ebook — it’s only $19 instead of the full price of $29. Check out the website figma​book​.com to see the Table of Contents and what’s inside. I’ve put a lot of time into the book, and it would mean the world to me if you check it out and help spread the world!

Now, onto the Config Europe and fantastic updates from Figma.

Are you ready for Config Europe? It’s happening next Thursday, and I can’t wait to see if new features will be announced in the opening keynote. Now may be a good moment to review features announced on the first Config earlier this year. The Figma team shipped a lot since then, but it seems like something happened to the Font Picker redesign along the way!

If you haven’t registered yet, there is still time until September 10th. (I assume the video recordings will be shared later.)

Hi there,

I hope you found a way to have some summer fun this year in spite of the pandemic. My family and I just returned from a socially distanced vacation in the New York woods, and I’m ready to get back to work on the book. It’s coming along nicely, and I can’t wait to launch it!

Meanwhile, Figma rolled out its Community to everyone and opened registration to Config Europe, which will run virtually on September 17th. Also in this issue: best practices for building a design system from Lyft, an approach to file organization from Shopify, and engineering handoff process at Uber Eats. Don’t miss a fantastic macOS Big Sur UI kit and a thoughtful post from Dylan Field on moving Figma towards a hybrid remote work model. Enjoy!

New prototyping features are the biggest news of the last two weeks — now, you can add custom easing curves to transitions and show multiple ways to interact with an object. The new integration with Bubble lets you create web apps from Figma without code. Make sure not to miss videos on using Ditto Words and creating a parallax scrolling with a combination of Figma and Framer. Enjoy!

P.S. I shared a small preview of my upcoming book ​“Designing in Figma”. Coming soon!

The Figma team is on fire! 🔥 Make sure to check out fantastic updates released during the last two weeks. Figma also announced the next Config conference, which will be in September and completely virtual.

A collection of design systems shared in Figma Community is a great resource to explore and learn from. Relay app looks very promising for integrating Figma into the development process, and in general, I enjoy seeing a rising interest in Figma from developers. If you’re into tabletop games, don’t miss the story on designing and playing Star Trek Adventures in Figma. Enjoy!