Being a "self-taught" artist or designer isn't as uncommon as it used to be. The internet is an incredible resource for free tutorials and lessons on starting creative projects.
Last year, the team behind vector graphics editor and prototyping tool Figma launched one of the best online conferences that was created by and for professional creatives. Especially those interested in UX/UI and product design in particular.
Figma Asks for Speakers for Config 2021
On February 2, Figma confirmed via its official Twitter account that its virtual design conference, Config, will return this year on April 21, 2021. While registration for the event itself has yet to open, Figma reminds the online creative community that there is still time left for you to apply as a speaker—even if you've never done such a thing before.
Just one week left to get your speaker applications in for #Config2021!
— Figma (@figmadesign) February 12, 2021
Never spoken publicly before? That's totally fine. Like @nikolasklein says, we're here to help you find your voice.
Apply to speak now at https://t.co/d9c1wui5g6 pic.twitter.com/KIOFlB1pGK
Config started last year as Config Europe, but has become an event of note for artists and designers all around the world. Config is a one-day virtual conference dedicated to talks, panels, and workshops about team culture, mentorship, and ethics in the design industry.
Figma Community Marketing team member Azra Daniels wrote a blog post last year explaining how Figma divides Config into four "tracks," and they are as follows:
- Building and maintaining design systems: best practices for starting and scaling building components and style guides
- Figma deep-dives: tips for streamlining workflow in Figma with features, like plugins, auto layout, components, etc.
- Process, culture, and team-building: learnings about recruiting/hiring and building team culture
- Improving design accessibility: guidance on how to make the design process more inclusive, accessible, and participatory for non-designers
Need something to hold you over until April? Check out our list of recommended design podcasts to spark your creativity.
What is Figma?
Figma is an interface design application often touted as the best application available for team-based collaborative design projects. It features real-time collaboration, libraries of reusable components, and navigation testing (interface connections and hotspots).
The app is free to use for up to two editors on a team for up to three projects. To add more collaborators on a project or work on more total projects, you'll have to sign up for either a Professional ($12 per editor/month) or Organization ($45 per editor/month) tier Figma subscription.
When Figma first launched, it was only available in browsers, but it now has desktop versions for both Windows and Mac.
Download: Figma for Windows | Mac (Free, in-app purchases available)
Don't Miss Config 2021
Design, in general, is often underrated. But any product or service that wants to grow its number of consumers or user base needs to make good design a priority. Your project's design should attract the right people to your brand, display your brand's personality, and be easy to understand.
Config aims to teach artists and designers those valuable lessons and more. If you want an even better idea of what to expect for Config 2021, you can sift through Figma's YouTube playlist of videos from last year.
