456: Should Designers Name Their Layers?

What It Covers

Brian Lovin and Marshall Bock debate whether designers should name their layers in Figma files. The discussion covers organizational hygiene, collaboration with engineers, design system maintenance, and when layer naming matters versus when it becomes premature optimization that slows down exploratory design work.

Key Questions Answered

• •Design systems require naming discipline: When building component libraries like YouTube's design system, layer names directly impact usability for other designers. Component names, properties, and variants must be clearly labeled because the layers themselves are the shipped product that other teams consume, making naming non-negotiable for systems work.
• •Naming aids structure and future retrieval: Naming layers forces designers to think about grouping logic and hierarchy, not just labels. When returning to files months later or using Figma's search feature (command-f), well-named layers enable quick navigation. The practice creates self-documenting files that explain design intent without requiring the original designer's presence.
• •Exploratory work benefits from loose structure: During early ideation phases, strict naming conventions can create premature optimization that locks designers into specific concepts too early. The mental overhead of maintaining accurate names while rapidly iterating can slow down the creative process. FigJam's lack of a layers panel demonstrates how freeform tools intentionally avoid structural constraints during brainstorming.
• •Engineer handoff value depends on implementation approach: Modern CSS frameworks like Tailwind use utility classes instead of semantic naming, reducing the importance of layer names in code translation. Engineers primarily need structural information (how elements nest and align) rather than descriptive labels. The actual div elements rarely inherit Figma layer names, making structure more valuable than nomenclature.
• •AI tools increase naming importance: Emerging AI design tools and Figma-to-code generators rely on layer names to infer designer intent and generate accurate output. As automation becomes more prevalent, well-named layers provide the context these systems need. Diagram and similar tools are developing AI layer naming to automate this process, suggesting computers may eventually handle naming hygiene automatically.