The anatomy of an activation: How Figma Commons brought design to the public
On July 31, a huge Figma banner covered the New York Stock Exchange building with a message that read “Design is everyone’s business.” As Figma stepped into its next chapter, we wanted to celebrate in a way that kept that idea front and center.
The ringing of the bell at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) was about celebrating design going public, introducing Figma to the broader community, and inviting people to feel part of something bigger. Since community is the backbone of our brand, we look for ways to share every milestone with the people who helped us get there—from Config Commons, our block-wide pop-up outside Config, to the NYSE.
To celebrate this milestone, Figma’s events and community experiences teams decided to go big, launching a series of bold citywide moments: a colossal mural in Brooklyn, Figma posters throughout New York City, a digital billboard in Times Square, and a “Figma Commons” event outside the NYSE.
Crafting Figma Commons involved weeks of planning and layers of approvals from agencies like the NYC Department of Buildings, NYPD, and the mayor’s office. Behind each careful detail were Jordan Scott and Kelley Sauer, Figma’s community and events leads, who helped shape the experience from the ground up.
“We wanted to build out something that was really delightful for people, whether they were longtime members of our community or interacting with us for the first time,” Jordan says.
Extending a citywide invitation
Promoting the celebration at Figma Commons came with its challenges. Since the team had to hold communications until a press release was published, they had less than 15 hours to spread the word. The solution was on-the-ground marketing—flyers handed out at subway stations and ferry terminals, wildposting throughout the city, and direct community outreach to local long-time customers.
Designing the experience
“What's special about our community is that they love Figma as a product, but they also love all the nitty gritty design details,” Kelley says. This was the moment to deliver on those details. Everything at Figma Commons was crafted with intent, from the bespoke signage designed by the brand team to the limited edition merch that aimed to be design-forward and fresh without feeling overly branded. Food and drink trucks featured snacks from popular New York City eateries, and Greg Lamarche, a popular New York graffiti artist, painted a mural that read “make” over the course of the day.
Making room to play and create
Playful, hands-on experiences popped up all over Figma Commons. The popular poster-making station from this year’s Config Commons returned, DJs pumped energy and good vibes into the space, and the Figma Make interaction area served as the center of gravity for the whole event.
To support this interactive area, the events and product teams generated 30 Figma Make creations in just one week, with a goal of giving everyone a chance to try some of our products. These creations ranged from functional, like a widget that recommended restaurants nearby, to fun, like a kaleidoscope explorer and a pigeon game. The night before the event the team stayed up until 3:30 am ensuring every detail of every interaction was just right.
As an article in Business Insider described it, Figma's celebration had “more of a block-party swagger than the feel of a stuffy bell-ringing ceremony.” In the end, around 4,500 people came through Figma Commons, collecting about 15,000 pieces of swag and 300 items from local food vendors to celebrate a big moment for the entire design community.
“Ultimately, we hoped to carve out a space for actual connection, both with the brand and with others,” Jordan says. “Bringing people together to have these cool experiences humanizes what we do in a way that I think is really beautiful."
Emma Webster is a writer and editor on Figma’s Story Studio team. Previously, she’s worked as a writer at Faire and Audley Travel.
