Organized Chaos: The Pros and Cons of Naming Layers in Figma

If you’re a designer, you’ve likely come across the ongoing debate of whether or not to name layers in Figma when creating a design. Some designers swear by naming every layer and claim laziness towards designers who do not fall into line, while others argue that naming layers is a waste of time and that those who do are focused on hygiene over good design. So, which side should you take? Let’s weigh the pros and cons.

Pros of Naming Layers:

Better organization: Naming layers can help you keep your design organized and easy to navigate, especially if you have a complex project with multiple layers.

Faster edits: When you name layers, you can quickly find and edit specific elements in your design without having to search through every layer manually.

Collaboration: If you’re working with a team, naming layers can help ensure that everyone understands what each layer contains, making collaboration smoother and more efficient.

Future reference: Naming layers can also help you revisit your design later and quickly understand your design process, saving you time and effort.

Cons of Naming Layers:

Time-consuming: Naming every layer can be time-consuming, especially if you have a large project with multiple layers.

No impact on quality: Some designers argue that naming layers is a personal preference and doesn’t necessarily improve the design’s quality.

Difficult to maintain: As you make changes to your design, you may need to rename layers or create new ones, which can be challenging to maintain and waste additional time adjusting naming conventions to reflect the current design iteration.

Hinder creativity: Some designers argue naming layers can cause possessiveness over a design, hindering quick creative iteration.

Whether or not to name layers in Figma depends on personal preference and the project’s complexity and level of fidelity. Naming layers can help keep your design organized, make edits faster, and improve collaboration. Still, it can also be time-consuming and difficult to maintain and might even dampen your, and your team’s, willingness to let go and iterate creatively and quickly. Ultimately, it’s up to the designer to decide what works best for them and their design process. When it comes to design debates, it’s like a choose-your-own-adventure book, and the answer is always, “it depends.” And, you guessed it, the naming layers debate is no exception.

So, which camp are you in? Do you think naming layers is worth the time and effort, or do you prefer to keep things simple and skip the naming process? Let me know in the comments!