Chapter 1: Getting Started

This is where absolute beginners start. No prior Figma experience needed. We'll cover the fundamental building blocks: frames, layers, shapes, text, components, and auto layout. Each lesson has numbered steps — follow along in Figma as you read.

Open Figma, create a new file (or use the starter file provided), and work through each lesson in order. By the end of this chapter, you'll be comfortable navigating Figma's interface and building basic layouts.

Figma Basics

  1. What is a frame? — frames vs rectangles, creating frames, why frames matter
  2. The Layers panel — selecting layers, naming, grouping, hiding, reordering
  3. Rectangles & shapes — drawing, fill, stroke, corner radius
  4. Text basics — adding text, choosing fonts, size, color, alignment

Core Concepts

  1. What is a component? — creating components, using instances, main vs instance
  2. Auto layout basics — activating auto layout, direction, gap, padding