Style organization and naming conventions in Figma - Real Business Scenario

Scenario Mode

👤 Your Role: You are a UI/UX designer working with a BI team

📋 Request: Your manager wants you to organize and name styles in Figma for a sales dashboard project

📊 Data: You have a Figma file with multiple text styles, color styles, and effect styles used inconsistently

🎯 Deliverable: A well-organized style system in Figma with clear naming conventions for colors, typography, and effects

Sample Data

Style Type	Current Name	Usage
Color	Blue1	Primary buttons
Color	blue_dark	Headers
Color	AccentRed	Alerts
Text	HeadingBig	Dashboard titles
Text	bodytext	Paragraphs
Text	BodyTextBold	Labels
Effect	Shadow1	Cards
Effect	shadow_light	Buttons

1

Step 1: Group all color styles by purpose and rename them using the format 'Color / Purpose / Shade', e.g., 'Color / Primary / Blue'.

Rename 'Blue1' to 'Color / Primary / Blue', 'blue_dark' to 'Color / Primary / Blue Dark', 'AccentRed' to 'Color / Alert / Red'.

Expected Result

Color styles are clearly grouped and named for easy identification.

2

Step 2: Organize text styles by hierarchy and usage, rename using 'Text / Role / Size / Weight', e.g., 'Text / Heading / Large / Bold'.

Rename 'HeadingBig' to 'Text / Heading / Large / Bold', 'bodytext' to 'Text / Body / Medium / Regular', 'BodyTextBold' to 'Text / Body / Medium / Bold'.

Expected Result

Text styles are consistently named and easy to apply correctly.

3

Step 3: Standardize effect styles naming with 'Effect / Type / Intensity', e.g., 'Effect / Shadow / Light'.

Rename 'Shadow1' to 'Effect / Shadow / Medium', 'shadow_light' to 'Effect / Shadow / Light'.

Expected Result

Effect styles are organized and naming reflects their visual impact.

4

Step 4: Create style folders or sections in Figma for Colors, Text, and Effects to keep styles visually grouped.

Use Figma's style organization features to group styles under 'Colors', 'Text', and 'Effects'.

Expected Result

Styles are easy to find and maintain within the Figma file.

5

Step 5: Document the naming conventions and style organization in a shared file or page for team reference.

Write a simple guide explaining the naming format and grouping rules.

Expected Result

Team members understand and follow consistent style naming and organization.

Final Result

┌───────────────────────────────┐
│       Figma Style System       │
├─────────────┬───────────────┤
│ Colors      │ Text Styles    │
├─────────────┼───────────────┤
│ Primary     │ Heading Large  │
│   Blue      │   Bold         │
│ Primary     │ Body Medium    │
│   Blue Dark │   Regular      │
│ Alert       │ Body Medium    │
│   Red       │   Bold         │
├─────────────┴───────────────┤
│ Effects                     │
│ Shadow Medium               │
│ Shadow Light                │
└───────────────────────────────┘

Bonus Challenge

Create a Figma plugin or use existing plugins to automatically rename and organize styles based on your naming conventions.

Show Hint

Look for plugins that manage style libraries or batch rename styles to save time.

Practice

1. Why is it important to use clear and consistent naming conventions for styles in Figma?

easy

A. It changes the colors of the styles.

B. It makes the file size smaller.

C. It automatically fixes design errors.

D. It helps find and reuse styles quickly, saving time and keeping designs consistent.

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the purpose of naming conventions

   Clear and consistent names help users quickly identify and reuse styles without confusion.

2. Step 2: Connect naming to design consistency

   Using good names ensures styles are reused properly, keeping the design uniform across the project.

3. Final Answer:

   It helps find and reuse styles quickly, saving time and keeping designs consistent. -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Clear naming = easy reuse [OK]

Hint: Good names save time and keep designs uniform [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking naming affects file size
• Believing naming fixes design errors
• Assuming naming changes style colors

2. Which of the following is the correct way to organize styles using categories and subcategories in Figma?

easy

A. Button-Primary-Active

B. Button/Primary/Active

C. Button Primary Active

D. Button.Primary.Active

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify the correct separator for categories

   Figma uses slashes (/) to separate categories and subcategories in style names.

2. Step 2: Compare options with Figma naming rules

   Only Button/Primary/Active uses slashes correctly to organize styles hierarchically.

3. Final Answer:

   Button/Primary/Active -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Use slashes (/) for style categories [OK]

Hint: Use slashes (/) to separate style categories [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using dashes or dots instead of slashes
• Using spaces without separators
• Mixing separators inconsistently

3. Given these style names in Figma: Text/Heading/H1, Text/Heading/H2, Button/Primary/Default, which style will appear first in the style list when sorted alphabetically?

medium

A. Button/Primary/Default

B. Text/Heading/H1

C. Text/Heading/H2

D. They all appear at the same time

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand alphabetical sorting in Figma

   Styles are sorted alphabetically from left to right, starting with the first category.

2. Step 2: Compare the first parts of each style name

   "Button" comes before "Text" alphabetically, so any style starting with "Button" appears before "Text" styles.

3. Final Answer:

   Button/Primary/Default -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Alphabetical order starts with first word [OK]

Hint: Alphabetical order sorts by first word first [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming H1 comes before Button
• Thinking subcategories affect order first
• Believing all styles appear simultaneously

4. You notice your Figma styles are named inconsistently: some use spaces, others use slashes, and some use dashes. What is the best way to fix this?

medium

A. Rename all styles to use slashes consistently for categories and subcategories.

B. Leave them as is because Figma accepts all formats.

C. Use spaces only because they look cleaner.

D. Use dashes only because they are shorter.

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify the recommended naming convention

   Figma recommends using slashes (/) to organize styles into categories and subcategories clearly.

2. Step 2: Apply consistent naming across all styles

   Renaming all styles to use slashes ensures easy navigation and reuse, avoiding confusion.

3. Final Answer:

   Rename all styles to use slashes consistently for categories and subcategories. -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Consistent slashes improve style organization [OK]

Hint: Fix inconsistent names by using slashes everywhere [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Ignoring inconsistent naming
• Using spaces or dashes inconsistently
• Thinking Figma accepts all naming equally

5. You have these styles in Figma: Color/Primary/Light, Color/Primary/Dark, Color/Secondary/Light, Color/Secondary/Dark. You want to create a new style for a medium shade between light and dark for Primary colors only. What is the best naming convention to keep your styles organized?

hard

A. Primary/Color/Medium

B. Color/PrimaryMedium

C. Color/Primary/Medium

D. Color-Medium-Primary

Solution

1. Step 1: Follow existing naming pattern

   Current styles use the pattern Category/Subcategory/Variant with slashes.

2. Step 2: Insert new variant in the same subcategory

   Adding "Medium" as a variant under "Primary" keeps the naming consistent and organized.

3. Final Answer:

   Color/Primary/Medium -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Match existing pattern for new styles [OK]

Hint: Match existing slash pattern for new style names [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Combining words without slashes
• Changing category order
• Using dashes instead of slashes