How to Use Drafts in Figma and share designs via FigJam
Learn how to use Figma Drafts to create private designs and share them in FigJam for seamless collaboration. Step-by-step guide with tips and best practices.
Introduction
Permalink to "Introduction"Figma has become a go-to tool for designers and teams worldwide, thanks to its intuitive interface and collaborative features. But one feature that often flies under the radar is Drafts—your personal design space in Figma. Drafts allow you to experiment, iterate, and organize ideas privately before sharing them with your team.
In this guide, we’ll cover:
- What Drafts are and why they matter.
- How to create designs in Drafts.
- How to share those designs in FigJam using a simple copy-and-paste workflow.
- Tips to make collaboration smoother.
What are Drafts in Figma?
Permalink to "What are Drafts in Figma?"Drafts are your personal workspace in Figma. Unlike team projects, Drafts are private by default, giving you the freedom to explore ideas without cluttering shared files.
Why use Drafts?
Permalink to "Why use Drafts?"- Experiment freely: Test concepts without impacting team projects.
- Organize assets: Keep personal components and templates handy.
- Prepare for collaboration: Polish your design before sharing.
Think of Drafts as your creative sandbox—safe, flexible, and just for you.
How to create designs in Drafts
Permalink to "How to create designs in Drafts"Here’s a step-by-step process:
Step 1: Open Figma and navigate to Drafts
Permalink to "Step 1: Open Figma and navigate to Drafts"- click Drafts under your workspace.
Step 2: Start a new file
Permalink to "Step 2: Start a new file"- Use Figma’s tools—frames, shapes, text, and components—to build your design.
Step 3: Organize your work
Permalink to "Step 3: Organize your work"- Use pages and layers to structure your design.
Why use drafts before sharing?
Permalink to "Why use drafts before sharing?"- Privacy: Keep early ideas private.
- Flexibility: Iterate without pressure.
- Preparation: Share polished work, not rough drafts.
How to share designs via FigJam
Permalink to "How to share designs via FigJam"FigJam is Figma’s collaborative whiteboard tool, perfect for brainstorming and feedback. Sharing your design in FigJam is easy with copy and paste.
Copy and paste
Permalink to "Copy and paste"- Select your draft design
- Select your design from the Drafts folder in Figma design.
- Copy the design
- Right-click and choose 'Copy' or use
Cmd + C(Mac) /Ctrl + C(PC)
- Open FigJam
- Open a new FigJam board
- Paste the design
- Paste your copied design into FigJam using right-click > 'Paste' or
Cmd + V(Mac) /Ctrl + V(PC) - Your design will appear as an image in FigJam.
- Share your design
- Click on the 'Share' button in the upper right of the screen and enter the recipient's name or email.
- The recipient will get an email or notification in Figma/FigJam that you have shared a file.
- They can use whatever FigJam tools are available to comment, edit, etc.
Tips for better sharing
Permalink to "Tips for better sharing"- Group elements: Before copying, group related items for easier placement.
- Resize in FigJam: Adjust scale for clarity.
- Add notes: Use sticky notes in FigJam to provide context or instructions.
Benefits of sharing via FigJam
Permalink to "Benefits of sharing via FigJam"- Real-time collaboration: Team members can comment and brainstorm.
- Visual feedback: Easy to annotate and suggest changes.
- Cross-tool integration: Keeps design and ideation connected.
Conclusion
Permalink to "Conclusion"Using Drafts in Figma gives you a private space to refine ideas, while FigJam makes collaboration effortless. By leveraging copy-and-paste, you can quickly move designs into a brainstorming environment without losing fidelity.