Bttr. · Field Guide
Figma Config 2026.
A read on the design platform direction. What the keynotes signal, and how Bttr. integrates Figma into Brand Operating Systems for enterprise teams.
Six signals
What Config 2026 tells you about the next year of design.
01
Platform, not tool
Figma is no longer a vector editor with multiplayer. It is the platform layer of modern brand and product work. Anyone shipping a design system without a Figma posture is shipping it twice.
02
AI inside the canvas
AI is moving from a side panel to an action layer. Generation, restructure, and translation of designs inside the file. The teams that win are the teams that codify their style first, so the AI has a system to follow.
03
Code Connect everywhere
The bridge from Figma components to live code is no longer optional. Brand Operating Systems live or die on whether the design surface and the production surface are the same source of truth.
04
Dev mode is the seam
Dev Mode is the place engineering meets brand. The teams running design ops well treat Dev Mode as a contract, not a viewer. Tokens, spacing, and components have to render correctly here or the system never ships.
05
Slides and sites as outputs
Figma Slides and Figma Sites are the same engine pointed at different surfaces. Marketing and brand teams now ship final surfaces from the same file the product team uses. The tool consolidation is the story.
06
Plugins as primary integration
The platform is now extended through plugins the way design systems used to be extended through Sketch libraries. The serious teams ship their own internal plugins as part of the operating layer.
Frequently asked
Config, common questions.
What is Figma Config?
Figma Config is the annual conference Figma holds for the design and product community. Keynotes, product announcements, talks from operators, and the largest in person gathering of design system leaders.
When did Figma Config 2026 happen?
Figma Config 2026 is scheduled for May 2026 in San Francisco, with a satellite event in London. Bttr. publishes its read on the platform direction the week after the keynotes.
What did Figma Config 2024 establish?
Figma Config 2024 established AI as a first class feature of the canvas, expanded Dev Mode into a contract between design and engineering, and surfaced Figma Slides as a serious deliverable surface. The teams that took it seriously moved fast.
How does Bttr. use Figma?
Figma is the canvas of every Brand Operating System Bttr. ships. Tokens, components, voice templates, and ready to use slide and site surfaces. Code Connect ties the design layer to production. Dev Mode is the contract between brand and engineering.
Should an in house team build a Figma plugin?
Yes, when the workflow gap is consistent and the cost of context switching is real. A short, scoped plugin that closes one repeatable seam in the design system is one of the highest leverage investments a design ops function can make.
Is Config worth attending in person?
For leaders of design, design ops, and product, yes. The keynote is the smallest part of the event. The conversations between sessions decide the next year of how serious teams operate.
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