Text styles in Figma - Cheat Sheet & Quick Revision

Recall & Review

beginner

What is a Text Style in Figma?

A Text Style in Figma is a saved set of text properties like font, size, weight, color, and spacing that you can reuse across your designs to keep text consistent.

beginner

How do Text Styles help in Business Intelligence dashboards?

They keep fonts and colors consistent, making dashboards easier to read and look professional, which helps users understand data quickly.

intermediate

Which text properties can be included in a Figma Text Style?

Font family, font size, font weight, line height, letter spacing, text decoration, and text case.

intermediate

What happens if you update a Text Style in Figma?

All text elements using that style update automatically, saving time and keeping your design consistent.

advanced

Why should you avoid manually changing text properties on elements that use Text Styles?

Because manual changes override the style and can cause inconsistency, making it harder to update designs later.

What is the main benefit of using Text Styles in Figma?

A Make text editable only by the owner

B Keep text formatting consistent across designs

C Automatically translate text to other languages

D Create animations for text

Text Styles help keep fonts, sizes, and colors consistent, which improves design clarity.

Which of these is NOT part of a Figma Text Style?

A Background color

B Line height

C Font size

D Letter spacing

Background color is not part of text styles; text styles control text properties only.

What happens when you update a Text Style in Figma?

A Only new text elements use the updated style

B Text elements lose their style and become plain text

C You must manually update each text element

D All text elements using that style update automatically

Updating a Text Style updates all text elements linked to it automatically.

Why is it important to use Text Styles in BI dashboards?

A To keep text consistent and easy to read

B To increase file size

C To hide text from users

D To add animations to charts

Consistent text styles make dashboards clearer and more professional.

What should you avoid when using Text Styles?

A Naming your Text Styles clearly

B Applying styles to multiple text elements

C Manually changing text properties on styled text

D Using Text Styles for headings and body text

Manual changes override styles and cause inconsistency.

Explain what a Text Style is in Figma and why it is useful for creating BI dashboards.

Think about how saving text settings helps keep your dashboard neat.

Describe the process and benefits of updating a Text Style in Figma.

Consider what happens when you change a style used many times.

Practice

1. What is the main benefit of using Text Styles in Figma for a business dashboard?

easy

A. They automatically translate text into multiple languages.

B. They keep text consistent and easy to update across the design.

C. They create animations for text elements.

D. They convert text into images for faster loading.

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the purpose of text styles

   Text styles are used to keep font, size, color, and spacing consistent across all text elements.

2. Step 2: Identify the benefit for dashboards

   Consistent text makes dashboards look professional and allows easy updates by changing the style once.

3. Final Answer:

   They keep text consistent and easy to update across the design. -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Text styles = Consistency and easy updates [OK]

Hint: Text styles = consistent fonts and easy global updates [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking text styles translate or animate text
• Confusing text styles with images or icons
• Believing text styles affect loading speed

2. Which of the following is the correct way to apply a text style to a text layer in Figma?

easy

A. Select the text layer, then choose the style from the Text Styles dropdown in the right panel.

B. Right-click the text layer and select 'Convert to Vector'.

C. Drag and drop the style file onto the text layer.

D. Double-click the text layer and type the style name manually.

Solution

1. Step 1: Locate how to apply text styles in Figma

   Text styles are applied by selecting the text layer and picking the style from the Text Styles dropdown in the right sidebar.

2. Step 2: Eliminate incorrect options

   Right-click convert to vector changes text to shapes, drag and drop styles is not supported, typing style name manually does not apply styles.

3. Final Answer:

   Select the text layer, then choose the style from the Text Styles dropdown in the right panel. -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Apply text style = Select layer + choose style dropdown [OK]

Hint: Apply styles via right panel dropdown after selecting text [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Trying to convert text to vector to apply styles
• Dragging files instead of using dropdown
• Typing style names instead of selecting

3. Given a text style named Heading Large with font size 24 and color blue, what happens if you update the font size to 28 in the style?

medium

A. The font size change does not affect any text layers.

B. Only new text layers created after the change use font size 28.

C. Existing text layers keep font size 24, new layers use 28.

D. All text layers using Heading Large update their font size to 28 automatically.

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand how text styles propagate changes

   When you update a text style, all text layers linked to that style update automatically to reflect the change.

2. Step 2: Confirm effect on existing layers

   Existing text layers using the style inherit the new font size immediately without manual changes.

3. Final Answer:

   All text layers using Heading Large update their font size to 28 automatically. -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Update style = auto update all linked text layers [OK]

Hint: Changing style updates all linked text layers instantly [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking only new layers update
• Believing existing layers keep old size
• Assuming manual update needed per layer

4. You applied a text style to a label but the font color did not change as expected. What is the most likely reason?

medium

A. The text layer has local overrides that prevent style color from applying.

B. The text style was deleted after applying.

C. Figma does not support color changes in text styles.

D. The text layer is locked and cannot update.

Solution

1. Step 1: Check for local overrides on the text layer

   If a text layer has local formatting changes (overrides), these can block style properties like color from applying.

2. Step 2: Understand why other options are incorrect

   Deleting style after applying breaks link but usually removes style; Figma supports color in styles; locked layers can still show style changes visually.

3. Final Answer:

   The text layer has local overrides that prevent style color from applying. -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Local overrides block style color changes [OK]

Hint: Check for local overrides blocking style updates [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming style deletion causes no color change
• Believing Figma can't style colors
• Ignoring local overrides on text

5. You want to create a dashboard with clear hierarchy: headings, subheadings, body text, and labels. How should you organize your text styles for best BI design practice?

hard

A. Apply random fonts and sizes to make the dashboard colorful.

B. Use one text style for all text and manually adjust sizes per layer.

C. Create separate named text styles for each role (e.g., Heading, Subheading, Body, Label) with distinct fonts and sizes.

D. Create text styles only for headings and leave other text unstyled.

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify the need for clear text hierarchy

   Dashboards need clear visual hierarchy to guide users, so different text roles require distinct styles.

2. Step 2: Organize text styles accordingly

   Creating separate named styles for headings, subheadings, body, and labels ensures consistency and easy updates.

3. Final Answer:

   Create separate named text styles for each role (e.g., Heading, Subheading, Body, Label) with distinct fonts and sizes. -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Separate named styles = clear hierarchy and consistency [OK]

Hint: Name styles by role for clear, consistent dashboard text [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using one style for all text causing confusion
• Styling only headings leaving others inconsistent
• Random fonts and sizes reduce readability