Best Practices for Naming, Structuring & Organizing Figma Components

Build cleaner, smarter, and more scalable design systems with these practical tips

Introduction

Messy Figma files lead to slower teams, broken designs, and frustrated developers. If your components are called “Frame 43” or live in a folder called “Stuff,” it’s time to clean up your system.

In this guide, we’ll walk through proven best practices for naming, structuring, and organizing Figma componentsso your design system stays scalable and your workflow smooth.

Whether you’re designing solo or collaborating with a dev team, these tips will help you stay aligned and efficient.

1. Use a Clear, Hierarchical Naming System

Use slash-based naming to group components in Figma’s asset panel:

Button / Primary / Filled  

Button / Secondary / Outline  

Input / Default  

Input / With Icon

Naming Tips:

• Start broad → go specific (Component / Type / Variant)
• Be consistent (e.g., always use Filled, not Solid in some places)
• Avoid abbreviations unless obvious (e.g., “Btn” or “Txt”)

This improves asset search, team onboarding, and design-to-dev handoff.

2. Organize Files by System Layers

Split your design system into logical files or pages inside one master system:

Common structure:

• Foundations → Tokens, color styles, grids, spacing
• Components → Buttons, inputs, checkboxes, etc.
• Patterns → Forms, cards, navbars
• Templates → Dashboards, flows, product screens
• Docs → Usage guidelines, naming conventions, contribution rules

Smaller files load faster and are easier to maintain.

3. Use Component Properties & Variants Intelligently

Don’t duplicate the same button 20 times. Use:

• Variants for state, size, or theme
• Properties for text, icons, booleans, or instance swapping

Example:

Button / Primary

↳ Size: sm, md, lg

↳ Icon: none, left, right

↳ State: default, hover, loading

Makes your system lighter, cleaner, and more scalable.

4. Use Descriptions for Dev Mode & Handoff

Figma now supports component descriptions. Use them to:

• Explain component logic
• Describe variant use
• Add developer tips or token references

Helps developers understand the component’s intention instantly in Dev Mode.

5. Keep Layout Logic Consistent

Ensure every component:

• Uses Auto Layout
• Has predictable padding / spacing scales
• Follows token-driven dimensions (e.g., --spacing-md, not “17px”)
• Has layers and groups named cleanly

No “Rectangle 91” or “Group 99.”

Use: “Background / Card Surface” or “Text / Label Small”

6. Create Reusable Blocks, Not Just Components

Modern systems go beyond buttons and forms. Structure reusable blocks like:

• Pricing sections
• Feature lists
• CTA strips
• Table rows
• Login flows

These live between components and templates — they help teams design full pages faster.

7. Document How to Use (and Not Use) Components

A clean system still fails if people use it wrong.

• Include “Do / Don’t” usage notes inside the Figma file
• Use a “Start Here” page with:
  
  • Naming logic
  • Token strategy
  • Contribution rules

Tools like Zeroheight, Notion, or Figma’s built-in docs help keep everyone aligned.

Why Voit Follows All of These Principles

Voit was built from the ground up using these best practices:

• Slash-based component naming
• 10,000+ variants powered by tokens & props
• All layers and logic documented
• Dev Mode-ready
• Organized into scalable files (foundations, components, patterns, templates)

Looking for a clean, scalable system? → Explore Voit

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Final Thoughts

Naming and organizing your Figma components may seem boring — until you’re 6 months into a messy file and can’t remember what “Btn/Alt2/RedX” means.

A clean system saves time, reduces bugs, and improves design-to-dev handoff.

Start with structure. Stay consistent. And think of your system as a product — not a file.

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