Season 2/1: Framer’s what, how, and why

Let’s learn how to design, share, and publish your new website faster than ever with no code.

At Flatline, we’re excited to announce that we will release a new blog series. This, as the title suggests, will cover how to use Framer to the best of its ability. Our first release will explain “what” Framer is, for “who” it’s relevant to, and “how” to set it up, as well as an easy-to-understand walkthrough of the basic features and interface. With that said, let’s get started with the first 2 topics:

What is Framer, and who is the target audience?

Framer is a versatile design tool for creating interactive and responsive web designs, prototypes, and mobile application interfaces. Its unique selling point is its ability to integrate design and coding functionalities seamlessly, helping designers bring their prototypes closer to the final product. it provides a canvas for designers to experiment with animations, interactions, and user flows without having to learn anything about coding.

But that still doesn’t answer the question of, “Who is the target audience?” so let’s dive into that. Framer is designed for a wide range of different user types that each have their own goals. A prominent group of users is UI/UX designers, they can use it to make detailed prototypes without any coding experience. Another group is product managers who require a visual representation of their product concepts and lastly is developers who wish to bridge the gap between design and development. Any of these groups, either alone or in collaboration, can benefit from the intuitive interface combined with the powerful coding capabilities Framer offers to enhance the user experience of their products.

Setting up your first project: Step-by-step tutorial

Making your own account takes less than 30 seconds, and you can get started straight away for free. Follow the steps below or watch the video to see it for yourself.

Creating a Framer account

First steps in your project

1. Adding frames: Utilise the ‘Frame’ tool to define areas for your design elements.

2. Importing assets: Drag and drop images, icons, and other media directly into your project.

3. Using pre-built components: Explore the components library to incorporate functionality quickly.

Framer terminology

Framer possesses an array of crucial features that make it an easy-to-work-with tool. To explain how these components work, we first need to understand the terminology commonly used when discussing them.

Frames: Websites built with Framer are completely built with blocks, with blocks in them and then other blocks in those. These blocks are referred to as “Frames.” A single “Frame” can be filled with text, an image, a CTA, and many more options. 

Component: Reusable design elements or groups of elements that can be replicated across your project. Components can have properties and interactions defined, streamlining the design process.

Breakpoint: When a specific pixel value is reached, it triggers a change in the layout to accommodate different screen sizes, orientations, or aspect ratios. Think of the width on a phone or tablet as an example, They can’t have the same layout or it wouldn’t fit on the screen. This is why we have “Breakpoints” to ensure everything works as intended, no matter the screen size.

Key Features

Stack: If there are a multitude of frames, you can select them and arrange them automatically, both horizontally or vertically. Simplifying the alignment and distribution of your website

Prototype: The interactive model of your design that can be tested and shared. Prototyping in Framer involves linking frames and components with interactions and animations to simulate the flow of an app or website.

Animation: Visual effects applied to elements in a prototype to demonstrate movement or transitions. Framer provides a range of animation options to enhance the user experience of the prototype.

Resources for learning

Lastly, we’d like to share some common and useful resources for learning more about Framer and some of their more advanced features. Framer has a very insightful and useful YouTube account which is a great source to pull information from. Framer also has its own update page. This lists many new improvements and fixes that might be able to help you learn more about the full capabilities of Framer. If you have a more specific issue or question that can’t be found on Framer’s own website, it might be helpful to look into their Community forums. Other users commonly post their issues and solutions there, and it’s highly likely that your questions will be answered there.

Final Thoughts

Framer revolutionises digital design, offering a seamless blend of design and coding capabilities ideal for UI/UX designers, product managers, and developers. Its intuitive interface and powerful features like auto-layout, breakpoints, and interactive prototyping streamline the creation of responsive and engaging digital experiences. 

By simplifying complex processes and encouraging collaboration, Framer empowers users to quickly bring ideas to life, making it a valuable tool for anyone looking to enhance their digital projects. Embrace Framer to elevate your designs and prototypes beyond conventional limits.

When a project needs more than Framer’s built-in capabilities, Flatline’s custom development team steps in to build the custom functionality that takes it further.

Check out Framer’s website and get started with designing your own digital dream website!