Do you like staring at a blank canvas every time you start a new project in Figma?

I’m guessing you’re not a big fan right, but it’s a practice that you’ve possibly followed from time to time?

Wouldn’t it be better if you could kick-start your design projects faster, and get your head into that free-flowing creative space instantly?

Well my dear friends, this is where a Design Starter Kit can come to your assistance. Cue the intro music!

So what is a Design Starter Kit, you may ask? Is it one of those ‘Design Systems’ that everyone talks about in that bubble we call #DesignTwitter?

Not quite. Is it a valuable, and essential part of an overall Design System? Absolutely.

Is it one of those ‘UI Kits’ that you see on design marketplaces all the time?

It isn’t that either. Unlike those ‘dime to a dozen UI Kits’ which have been created with a certain aesthetic, or to serve a particular industry, a Starter Kit is more vanilla in its base look, and feel, and doesn’t lock you into a specific style. It’s open for you to add your own interpretation dependant on the project at hand.

So what is it then?

I like to think of it as more of a Component Library and Style Guide rolled into one. Something which enables you to have those core UI elements pre-built, ready to go, allowing your creativity room to breathe, and enabling you to focus on the nuances of a design project much faster than you may have done previously. Simple as that really.

Y’know, I like drawing rectangles as much as the next man/woman but I don’t want to go through the hassle of creating common UI elements such as Buttons, Form Inputs, Modals, Cards, and everything in between each time I start a new project. Nah!

So with all that said, let me show you how I put together my own Starter Kit; Cabana for Figma, and in the process help you better understand what goes into creating a versatile and powerful Kit for yourself, enabling you to get your next project off to a flying start.

Staring at a Blank Canvas Syndrome (S. B. C. S.) be gone!

P.S. Due to the fact that I created my own Starter Kit in Sketch first, I will cross-reference that tool from time to time, just to let you see how the different tools handle creating a Kit such as this.