02. Files - Figma 101
Learn how to create and organize design files so you don't end up with a messy browser full of untitled files. Understand how Drafts, Recents, and team projects work so you can find your work quickly and collaborate effectively. A clean file structure means less time hunting for files and more time focusing on the design work that matters.
In Figma, every new design project begins with the creation of a new design file. (light rhythmic music) If a file isn't assigned to a project either before or after it's created, it will remain in your Recents and Drafts folder. You can think of the Drafts as your personal workspace in Figma, whereas Recents will show the most recent files, whether they are in your Drafts or even a team project. And whether you begin with a team project or not doesn't really matter, as design files can be moved around freely, even after they've been created. Just remember that any new file created outside of a team project will be saved in your Drafts until you decide to organize it into a specific project.
So even from the beginning, it can be beneficial to establish your project and name your file appropriately. For example, you might have a project named My Cool Project and a corresponding file called Exploration. The structure of your team, your project, and your file management system will largely depend on your individual preferences and the guidelines set by your organization. First of all, there are several methods to create a new design file in Figma. In the file browser, you'll notice options at the top labeled new design file, new FigJam file, and import file.
For this course, our focus will be primarily on the new design file option, which lets us create a new Figma design document for whatever we're working on. FigJam files are more for brainstorming sessions with digital sticky notes, shapes, and connectors. Even though our series won't dive into FigJam, it's worth noting that FigJam can be a useful tool for brainstorming and digital whiteboarding. So when you make a new file, Figma's default name is Untitled. Now, I get it, you might wanna dive straight into your designs, but let me tell you, if you do that a few times, file browser starts to look like a garage sale.
To avoid that, it's super easy to rename your Untitled file. Just find the file name at the top, right in the center of the canvas. Click it, give it a name that makes sense to you, and press return. Simple as that and your file browser will thank you. Now, if we close this file, we can find it in our Drafts and our Recents folder.
But if you go into your team project, you'll notice that it's not there. Anything created outside of a team project will always show up in Drafts and Recents, but not in your team project. If you wanna move your file to your team project, you can do that from the file browser by dragging and dropping the design file directly into your team project. Or within the actual file itself, you can click the arrow beside your file name. And from the drop-down, choose Move to team project, and then select your team.
If you click into a team project and create a new design file, that particular file will automatically show up under your teams project and within your Recents, but not under your Drafts. One handy feature in Figma is the ability to star files by hovering over a file and clicking the star icon for quick access. This is particularly useful when you're working with specific files for extended periods of time. Keep in mind that if you're on the free Figma plan, you can only have three files inside of your team project, whereas you can have an unlimited amount of draft files. Coming up next, we'll look at how we can use some other canvas features.
