Figma Basics: Shapes, Text, and Images

1. Creating and Manipulating Shapes

Shapes are the skeleton of any interface. They form buttons, backgrounds, containers, and icons. You'll start by learning how to create basic shapes and then modify their properties.

The Shape tools are located in the Toolbar at the top of the screen. You'll see a rectangle icon by default, but clicking the small arrow next to it will reveal other shapes like lines, ellipses, and polygons.

Let's watch a very short clip on creating a basic shape.

Once a shape is on your canvas, the Properties Panel on the right becomes your command center for manipulating it. You can change its size, position, color, and much more.

Practical Exercise: Building a Button Background

Let's apply this by creating the background for a simple button. This step-by-step guide will walk you through creating a shape and modifying its properties.

As you can see, the process is straightforward: select the tool, create the element, and then fine-tune its appearance in the Properties Panel.

Shapes can also be combined in powerful ways using Boolean operations (Union, Subtract, Intersect, Exclude) to create more complex icons and forms. This is a more advanced technique, but it's good to know it exists.

2. Adding and Styling Text

Text is the primary way we communicate information in a UI. Adding and styling text in Figma is just as fundamental as creating shapes.

You can add text using the Text tool, which you can activate by pressing the T key or selecting the "T" icon from the Toolbar.

This short video will demonstrate the basics.

Practical Exercise: Adding a Label to Your Button

Now, let's add text to the button shape you created earlier.

You've now created a complete button—a core component of almost any interface—by combining and manipulating a shape and a text layer.

3. Placing and Modifying Images

Images bring life, context, and visual appeal to designs. Your experience with your gifting business has likely given you a great sense of how powerful the right image can be.

There are several ways to add an image to your Figma file:

• Go to the main menu (Figma icon) > File > Place image... (Shortcut: Shift+Cmd+K or Shift+Ctrl+K).
• Simply drag and drop an image file from a folder on your computer directly onto the canvas.

Once an image is placed, you can resize it. Remember to hold the Shift key while dragging a corner to maintain its original proportions and avoid distortion.

When an image is part of a shape (for instance, as a fill), you have several options for how it fits into that container.

Just like shapes and text, you can also modify images by adding properties like strokes (borders) or effects.

Your First Mini-Project

Now it's time to combine everything you've learned into a small, practical piece of design. This exercise is directly inspired by your background and freelance goals.

Challenge: Create a header element for a digital wedding invitation.

Steps:

1. Create a Frame: Press F and draw a frame on your canvas. In the Properties panel on the right, set its dimensions to a typical social media story size: 1080px width and 1920px height.
2. Add a Background Shape: Press R to create a rectangle that fills the top third of your frame. In the Properties Panel, change its Fill to a soft color suitable for a wedding theme (e.g., a light blush, sage green, or cream).
3. Place an Image: Find a high-quality, free-to-use image that fits the wedding theme (e.g., flowers, rings, a landscape). You can use a site like Unsplash or Pexels. Drag the image onto your canvas.
4. Create an Image Mask:
   • Press O to select the Ellipse tool. Hold Shift and draw a large circle over the image.
   • In the Layers Panel on the left, drag the circle layer so it is below the image layer.
   • Select both the image layer and the circle layer (hold Shift and click on both).
   • Right-click on the selection and choose "Use as mask".
   • Position your masked image on the colored rectangle you made in step 2.
5. Add Text:
   • Press T to add a text layer. Type the names of a fictional couple (e.g., "Olivia & Liam"). Choose an elegant, script-style font from the Properties Panel. Make it a large size.
   • Add a second, smaller text layer below the names with the text "are getting married". Use a simple, clean font for this.
6. Align Everything: Select all your elements and use the Align horizontal centers tool in the Properties Panel to ensure everything is perfectly centered within the frame.

This exercise mirrors the exact workflow you'd use for the kind of quick-turnaround freelance projects you're aiming for.

Conclusion

In this lesson, you moved from being an observer to a creator in Figma. You've learned the essential skills of adding and manipulating the core building blocks of any design.

Key Takeaways:

• You create elements like shapes, text, and images using the Toolbar.
• You modify these elements—changing their color, size, font, and other attributes—using the context-aware Properties Panel on the right.
• Holding Shift is key for maintaining proportions when resizing shapes and images.
• Alignment tools are crucial for creating a polished, professional layout.

Preview of the Next Lesson:

Now that you can create individual elements, the next step is to manage them effectively. A messy file is inefficient and unprofessional. In the next lesson, we will focus on organizing your Figma file using pages, frames, and consistent naming conventions. Your structured thinking from your CA and finance background will be a great asset here, as we bring order and logic to our creative work.