Effect styles in Figma - Step-by-Step Guide

Introduction

Effect styles let you save and reuse visual effects like shadows and blurs on your designs. This helps keep your dashboard or report visuals consistent and saves time when styling multiple elements.

When you want all buttons on your dashboard to have the same shadow effect without setting it each time

When you need to apply a blur effect to multiple background images consistently

When your report requires a consistent glow effect on important KPI cards

When you want to quickly update the shadow style across all charts by changing one effect style

When collaborating with a team to keep visual effects uniform across pages

Steps

Step 1: Select a layer with an effect applied

- Layers panel

The layer is highlighted and its effects appear in the right sidebar under Effects

💡 Use a shape or text with a shadow or blur effect to start

Step 2: Click the four dots icon next to Effects

- Right sidebar under Effects section

The Effect styles panel opens showing existing saved effect styles

Step 3: Click the '+' button to create a new effect style

- Effect styles panel

A dialog appears to name your new effect style

Step 4: Type a descriptive name for the effect style

- Name input field in the dialog

The new effect style is saved and appears in the Effect styles list

Step 5: Select another layer to apply the saved effect style

- Layers panel

The layer is selected and ready for styling

Step 6: Click the four dots icon next to Effects and choose the saved effect style

- Effect styles panel

The selected effect style is applied to the layer, updating its visual effect

Step 7: To update an effect style, right-click it in the Effect styles panel and select 'Update style'

- Effect styles panel

All layers using that effect style update to the new effect settings

Before vs After

Before

A button has a manually set drop shadow effect unique to that button only

After

The button uses a saved effect style named 'Soft Shadow' that can be applied to other buttons

Settings Reference

Effect type

📍 Right sidebar > Effects

Choose the kind of visual effect to apply

Default: Drop shadow

Effect color

📍 Right sidebar > Effects > Color picker

Set the color and transparency of the effect

Default: Black with 50% opacity for shadows

Effect offset and blur

📍 Right sidebar > Effects > Offset and Blur sliders

Control the position and softness of the effect

Default: 0 offset, 10 blur for shadows

Effect styles panel

📍 Right sidebar > Effects > Four dots icon

Manage reusable effect styles

Default: No style applied

Common Mistakes

Creating multiple effect styles with very similar settings

This causes confusion and inconsistency when updating effects across the design

Reuse one effect style and update it as needed to keep effects consistent

Applying effect styles to layers that already have conflicting manual effects

The manual effects override or mix with the style, causing unexpected visuals

Clear manual effects before applying an effect style to avoid conflicts

Summary

Effect styles let you save and reuse visual effects like shadows and blurs across your design.

They help keep your dashboard or report visuals consistent and easy to update.

Remember to update effect styles carefully to avoid conflicting manual effects on layers.