Design Figma Reference Absorption

Use this skill when the user says "make it feel more like Figma" and the job is to translate that into system logic instead of imitation.

Read ../../references/figma-signals.md, ../../references/style-archetypes.md, and ../../references/deliverables.md before drafting.

Use when

• The user references Figma explicitly.
• A creative-tool or collaboration product needs stronger design-system signals.
• The team wants Figma-inspired energy without turning into a copy.

Do not use when

• The reference is not Figma.
• The current product constraints make Figma's signals clearly incompatible.

Absorption failures to avoid

• copying brand language instead of extracting design logic
• carrying colorful hero energy into every product surface
• forcing pill geometry or tight typography where it hurts readability
• skipping the boundary between what to borrow and what must stay product-native

Workflow

1. Identify why Figma is being referenced

Clarify:

• whether the attraction is color energy, typography, geometry, chrome discipline, or product-tool confidence

2. Extract the structural signals

Distill:

• monochrome chrome versus expressive content
• micro-hierarchy through typography
• pill and circular geometry rules
• focus and interaction treatment
• gallery pacing for showcases

3. Map the signals into a first-party direction

State:

• which archetype is primary
• which Figma signals should be adopted
• which signals should stay out

4. Translate into design rules

Convert the absorbed signals into:

• palette behavior
• type hierarchy
• component patterns
• layout and showcase rules
• motion or focus cues

5. End with guardrails

Explicitly say how to avoid drifting into a superficial clone.

Output format

Return:

1. Why the Figma reference fits

• product and audience rationale

2. Signals to borrow

• structural signals only

3. Signals to avoid

• what should not transfer

4. First-party translation

• tokens
• typography
• components
• layout and motion

5. No-copy guardrails

• how to keep the result product-native

Use together with

• design-style-archetype-selection
• design-system-distillation
• design-system-adaptation
• design-component-visual-spec