Figma: The Collaborative Interface Design Tool

Hi there! If you’ve worked in design or product development, chances are you’ve used Figma or at least heard about it. It’s one of the most popular design tools in the world today — but it started as a small idea with a big mission.

Let’s explore Figma’s journey, from its humble beginnings to going public.

🌱 The Early Idea

Figma was founded in 2012 by Dylan Field and Evan Wallace while Dylan was still a student at Brown University.

The goal?

To make design accessible to everyone by moving it to the browser — no heavy software installs, no expensive hardware requirements.

They were inspired by tools like Google Docs, which allowed people to collaborate in real time. They thought:

Why not bring that same magic to design?

💡 The Breakthrough — Browser-Based Design

In 2015, Figma launched its first beta.

The big difference?

It ran entirely in the browser using WebGL. This made it possible for multiple designers to work on the same file at the same time — no sending massive files over email.

It was also cross-platform from day one:

• Windows
• macOS
• Linux (via browser)
• Even Chromebooks

Design anywhere, with anyone, in real time.

📈 Rapid Growth

By 2017, Figma started attracting major design teams.

Why they loved it:

• Real-time collaboration like Google Docs
• Version history without messy file names
• Free plan for individuals
• Easy handoff for developers

Competitors like Adobe XD and Sketch struggled to match the cloud-first approach.

💰 The Business Model

Figma adopted a freemium model:

Free for individuals, paid plans for teams with advanced features.

This made it easy for students, freelancers, and startups to adopt the tool — and later upgrade as they grew.

🚀 IPO and Acquisition Talks

Figma’s popularity kept growing, especially during the remote work boom of 2020–2021.

In 2022, Adobe announced plans to acquire Figma for $20 billion, but the deal was eventually called off in 2023 due to regulatory concerns.

Instead of slowing down, Figma kept expanding its product lineup — including FigJam for online whiteboarding.

Finally, on July 31, 2025, Figma went public with an IPO that valued the company at over $12 billion. It became one of the largest design software IPOs in history.

Final Thoughts

Figma isn’t just a design tool — it’s a story about accessibility, collaboration, and rethinking how creative work happens.

From a dorm room idea to a multi-billion-dollar public company, Figma proves that even in competitive markets, innovation can win.

Next time you use it to design something, remember the journey that made it possible. 🎨