Creating a component in Figma can streamline your design process, making it more efficient and organized. But how exactly do you go about it? This article will guide you through the process, step by step.

Understanding the Concept of Components

In Figma, a component is essentially a reusable group of elements. This concept is similar to symbols in Illustrator. When you create a component, you can make edits to the original, and these changes will automatically apply to all instances of that component. This feature can save you a lot of time and effort, especially when you’re working on large projects.

Creating a Basic Component

Let’s say you want to create a simple button component. Here’s how you can do it:

  1. Start by creating the button text: Press ‘T’ for the type tool, click on your canvas, and type in the word ‘button’.
  2. Create a frame around the text: Click off, press ‘F’ for the frame tool (you can find it at the top), and create a frame around the button.
  3. Add an auto layout to the frame: Click and drag to select everything, then click ‘Auto Layout’. You can adjust the padding to fit the text as you wish.
  4. Customize the button: You can round the corners of the button or make any other adjustments to suit your design.
  5. Create the component: With the frame selected, go to the top and click ‘Create Component’. The frame will turn purple, indicating that it’s now a component.

Using the Component

Once you’ve created a component, it will appear in your assets panel under ‘Local Components’. To use an instance of the component, simply click and drag it out. The original component and its instances are different: the original is editable, while the instances are not. However, any changes you make to the original component will automatically apply to all its instances.

Editing the Component

You can make edits to the original component, such as increasing the padding, and these changes will apply to all instances of the component. However, you can also make individual edits to each instance. For example, you can change the text on each button while keeping the same component properties.

The Power of Components

The real power of components lies in their reusability. You don’t have to recreate the button multiple times; you can reuse the elements that you created in the component. Moreover, you can create components out of multiple components, allowing you to stack and nest components for more complex designs.

Interactive Components

If you want to create an interactive component or add properties and variants to a component, such as a hover state or a click state, you can do so as well. This process is a bit more complex and is covered in a separate tutorial.

Conclusion

In conclusion, creating a component in Figma is a straightforward process that can greatly enhance your design workflow. By understanding how to create, use, and edit components, you can make your designs more efficient and organized.