Why Figma Chose Explicit Constraints Over Better Prompts
TRIGGER
AI design tools produce inconsistent outputs that don't match brand guidelines, component libraries, or product patterns—requiring extensive manual cleanup that negates the speed benefits.
APPROACH
LinkedIn's design systems team, led by Grant Blakeman (staff design engineer) and Product Designers Cherin Yoo and Ray Sun, built a starter template in Figma Make that automatically generates three variations (web, mobile, tablet) with light/dark mode support from a single prompt. Input: single prompt + constrained template containing component rules, style guidelines, color ramps, and privacy-safe mock data. Output: on-brand design variations across three breakpoints and two themes, ready for stakeholder presentations without designer cleanup. Cherin supplied the template with guidelines for frequently used components and internal CSS color ramps to narrow the boundaries within which the LLM makes choices. Ray customized the code to integrate mock metadata that populates designs with legally vetted fictional companies and people for presentations, ensuring privacy compliance during demos. The team used the template to demo a premium plan signup page for LinkedIn leadership.
PATTERN
“Better prompts won't give you deterministic outputs—explicit constraints will. Embed component rules, color systems, and pattern libraries into templates; LLMs make choices within the boundaries you give them, so narrow the space of valid outputs.”
✓ WORKS WHEN
- Organization has a mature design system with documented components and patterns
- AI tool supports template customization with code and rule injection
- Outputs need to be production-ready or demo-ready without designer cleanup
- Multiple variations (responsive breakpoints, themes) are needed from single inputs
- Privacy or legal constraints require controlled mock data
✗ FAILS WHEN
- Design system is nascent or poorly documented
- AI tool doesn't support template-level customization
- Exploratory work where brand consistency isn't yet defined
- Component library is too small to meaningfully constrain outputs
- Templates require ongoing maintenance that exceeds time saved