Applying and detaching styles in Figma - Real Business Scenario

Scenario Mode

👤 Your Role: You are a UI designer working on a sales dashboard in Figma.

📋 Request: Your manager wants you to apply consistent color and text styles to the dashboard components. Later, they want to see how the dashboard looks without these styles, so you need to detach the styles from some elements.

📊 Data: You have a Figma file with dashboard components: titles, labels, buttons, and charts. Some components already have local styles defined for colors and text.

🎯 Deliverable: A Figma dashboard where you apply shared styles to all relevant components, then detach styles from selected components to customize their appearance.

Sample Data

Component	Type	Current Style
Dashboard Title	Text	Local Text Style: Heading 1
Region Label	Text	Local Text Style: Body
Sales Button	Button	Local Fill Color: Blue
Filter Dropdown	Button	No Style Applied
Chart Title	Text	Local Text Style: Heading 2
Legend Label	Text	No Style Applied

1

Step 1: Create shared text styles for headings and body text.

In Figma, go to the Text panel, create a new text style named 'Dashboard Heading' with font size 24px, bold, and color #333333. Create another text style named 'Body Text' with font size 14px, regular, and color #666666.

Expected Result

Two shared text styles named 'Dashboard Heading' and 'Body Text' are available in the styles panel.

2

Step 2: Create shared color styles for buttons and fills.

In Figma, select a blue color (#1E90FF) and create a new color style named 'Primary Blue'. Create a gray color (#CCCCCC) style named 'Secondary Gray'.

Expected Result

Two shared color styles named 'Primary Blue' and 'Secondary Gray' are available.

3

Step 3: Apply the shared text styles to all text components.

Select 'Dashboard Title' and apply 'Dashboard Heading' text style. Select 'Region Label' and 'Legend Label' and apply 'Body Text' style. Select 'Chart Title' and apply 'Dashboard Heading' style.

Expected Result

All text components use the shared text styles consistently.

4

Step 4: Apply the shared color styles to buttons and fills.

Select 'Sales Button' and apply 'Primary Blue' fill color style. Select 'Filter Dropdown' and apply 'Secondary Gray' fill color style.

Expected Result

Buttons have consistent fill colors using shared styles.

5

Step 5: Detach styles from 'Region Label' and customize its text color.

Select 'Region Label', right-click and choose 'Detach Style' for text. Change its text color to #FF4500 (orange).

Expected Result

'Region Label' text no longer linked to shared style and shows orange color.

6

Step 6: Detach fill color style from 'Sales Button' and change its color.

Select 'Sales Button', right-click and choose 'Detach Style' for fill. Change fill color to #32CD32 (lime green).

Expected Result

'Sales Button' fill color is now lime green and not linked to shared style.

Final Result

Dashboard Title (Dashboard Heading style)
Region Label (Custom orange text, detached style)
Sales Button (Custom lime green fill, detached style)
Filter Dropdown (Secondary Gray fill style)
Chart Title (Dashboard Heading style)
Legend Label (Body Text style)

✓Applying shared styles ensures consistent look across dashboard components.

✓Detaching styles allows customization for specific components without affecting others.

✓Using shared styles simplifies future updates to the dashboard design.

Bonus Challenge

Create a variant of the 'Sales Button' with a hover effect using shared styles, then detach the hover style to customize it.

Show Hint

Use Figma's component variants to define hover state styles, then detach the hover fill style on the variant instance to change its color.

Practice

1. What happens when you apply a style to an element in Figma?

easy

A. The element deletes all previous styles and resets to default

B. The element becomes a separate copy and does not update with style changes

C. The element links to the shared style and updates if the style changes

D. The element locks and cannot be edited anymore

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand style application

   Applying a style links the element to a shared design setting.

2. Step 2: Effect of linked styles

   When the shared style changes, all linked elements update automatically.

3. Final Answer:

   The element links to the shared style and updates if the style changes -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Applying style = linked updates [OK]

Hint: Applying style links element to shared settings [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking applying style creates independent copy
• Believing element becomes locked
• Assuming styles delete previous formatting

2. Which of the following is the correct way to detach a style from an element in Figma?

easy

A. Double-click the style name in the right panel

B. Apply a new style over the existing one

C. Delete the element and recreate it without styles

D. Right-click the element and select 'Detach Style'

Solution

1. Step 1: Locate detach style option

   Right-clicking the element shows the context menu with 'Detach Style'.

2. Step 2: Detach style effect

   Selecting 'Detach Style' breaks the link to the shared style, allowing custom edits.

3. Final Answer:

   Right-click the element and select 'Detach Style' -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Detach style = right-click menu option [OK]

Hint: Detach style via right-click menu [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Trying to detach by double-clicking style name
• Deleting element instead of detaching style
• Applying new style does not detach old style

3. Consider a text element with a shared color style applied. If you detach the style and then change the shared style color, what happens to the text element's color?

medium

A. The text color updates to the new shared style color

B. The text color remains as it was when detached

C. The text color resets to default black

D. The text color becomes transparent

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand detaching effect

   Detaching breaks the link to the shared style, making the element independent.

2. Step 2: Effect of changing shared style after detaching

   Since the element is detached, changes to the shared style do not affect it.

3. Final Answer:

   The text color remains as it was when detached -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Detached style = no updates from shared style [OK]

Hint: Detached elements keep their current style despite shared changes [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming detached elements update automatically
• Thinking color resets to default
• Believing detaching makes element transparent

4. You tried to detach a style from a component but the option is grayed out. What is the most likely reason?

medium

A. You have not selected the element inside the component

B. The style is already detached

C. The component is a master component and styles cannot be detached

D. You need to restart Figma to enable detaching

Solution

1. Step 1: Check selection context

   Detaching styles requires selecting the element with the style, not the whole component frame.

2. Step 2: Why option is grayed out

   If the whole component is selected, detaching is disabled because styles apply to inner elements.

3. Final Answer:

   You have not selected the element inside the component -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Select inner element to detach style [OK]

Hint: Select inner element, not component frame, to detach style [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming master components block detaching
• Thinking restart fixes grayed option
• Believing style is already detached without checking

5. You have a button component with a shared fill style applied. You want to customize the button's fill color for a special case without affecting other buttons. What is the best approach?

hard

A. Detach the fill style from the button instance and change the fill color

B. Create a new shared fill style and apply it to the button instance

C. Change the fill color in the master component directly

D. Apply a text style to the button instead

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand customization without affecting others

   Detaching the style breaks the link, allowing unique edits on this button only.

2. Step 2: Why other options are less suitable

   Creating a new shared style affects multiple elements if reused; changing master affects all buttons; text style does not affect fill color.

3. Final Answer:

   Detach the fill style from the button instance and change the fill color -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Detach style to customize single element [OK]

Hint: Detach style to customize one element without global changes [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Changing master component affects all instances
• Applying text style does not change fill color
• Creating new shared style affects multiple elements