CEOs, CTOs, product managers, and project managers at top companies and startups work with Toptal Figma freelancers to augment their design teams for app design, website design, and other design projects to achieve their business needs.
Todd has been a full-time creative professional his entire career. He is a UX designer, Figma expert, video editor, and AI art enthusiast with a one-person studio in Seattle. Todd does app design, motion graphics, web design, UX design, app prototyping, presentations, and illustration. He's trustworthy, fun, friendly, on time, and on budget. His enthusiasm and love of design are infectious.
Tommy is an experienced designer from the Netherlands, specializing in UX, design systems, and branding. He's an expert in Figma and similar tools to create web and app designs with interactive prototypes. He is fluent in Dutch, English, and Spanish.
Noelia is an experienced multimedia designer specializing in UI/UX with certifications in Professional Scrum with User Experience and Professional Scrum Master I, demonstrating her commitment to agile methodologies. She is proficient in Figma and excels at leading UI/UX projects across multiple industries, ensuring seamless user experiences. With a track record of training teams in agile best practices, Noelia is equipped to thrive in any agile-driven environment.
Alex is a senior product designer with more than seven years of experience. He specializes in UI/UX design, experience design, mobile applications, and dashboard solutions using Figma, Sketch, InVision, and Adobe Photoshop. Alex's notable clients include Uber and SQUAD. He applies design thinking to improve customer experiences and helps clients grow their businesses.
With nearly a decade of experience, Amlan excels in creating scalable and accessible user experiences. As a design manager, he leverages his skills in design sprints, project planning, Figma, design systems, remote work, and strategy. Leading a team of eight designers, Amlan uses agile methods to ideate, prototype, test, and launch concepts that enhance ops efficiency and customer satisfaction. His commitment to excellence helps drive success in the dynamic world of technology development.
Malik is a top-rated UI designer keen on UX and product design. Over the last 10 years, he's been working on SaaS, fintech, edtech, and AI projects. He's designed B2B and B2C platforms and marketplaces for award-winning startups and global clients like HomeGig, Mathebibel, Statista, and the Pakistan Government. Working closely with engineering teams to deliver pixel-perfect designs that help companies grow, Malik's crafted products received 10,000+ downloads with 90% user satisfaction in Figma.
Michelle is a UI/UX design lead, visual designer, and strategic thinker with experience in product design, digital design, advertising, and research. She has over 750+ successful projects under her belt across multiple brands, products, and industries and is highly proficient in Figma, Adobe Creative Suite, and numerous other industry tools. Michelle approaches projects with creativity, user empathy, and problem-solving ingenuity that consistently bring great value to her clients.
Pete has 14+ years of experience across in-house design, startups, enterprises, and award-winning agencies like Ogilvy. His clients include British Airways, BT, Ford, and Virgin. He is an expert problem solver and creative thinker, skilled in digital strategy, wireframing, UI/UX design, design systems, and prototyping. Pete has transitioned his expertise from the world of big media agencies to the land of novelty fintech products—and his work elevates each client's design maturity and success.
Illia is a UI/UX designer with a passion for crafting state-of-the-art online products with the purpose of helping people. With eight years of experience in product design, Illia can do everything from customer discovery and concept validation to designing low-fidelity prototypes, eventually turning them into pixel-perfect, goal-oriented designs.
Namitha is a UI/UX designer who specializes in creating visually appealing designs using software like Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and Figma. Her experience includes working with designers, developers, product owners, and project managers to develop cohesive and effective designs. Her ability to make correct design decisions is based on her experience working independently and in team structures on projects.
With 10+ years of experience creating digital interfaces, Gabriel specializes in responsive B2B web apps and is also skilled in B2C for iOS and Android. A graduate in interactive design from Paris, he has a holistic approach that takes into account all project stakeholders and their objectives, motivations, and needs within their context and timeline. For each project, his mission is to solve challenges and transform them into the most effective digital solutions in context.
Figma designers are proficient in the Figma design tool and leverage this skill to create user interfaces and user experiences for websites and mobile applications. This guide to hiring Figma designers features an overview of relevant skills, job description tips, and interview questions and answers that will help you identify the best candidates for your company.
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Testimonials
Michael is an incredible designer, and has been a great fit for our project. He just gets it in a way that can’t be taught. My goal was to pay Toptal to find me a high quality designer for my project, and that is exactly what happened. It was easy. Being able to see the portfolio work on Toptal’s platform is what gave me the infomation I needed to choose Michael. I have nothing but good things to say about Toptal and am looking forward to using Toptal for other projects in the future.
Edward Daniel
Co-Founder
I've worked very closely with Martina for over a year and have to say she is one of the best people I have ever worked with. Instead of simply following instructions blindly, she thinks through the task at hand, becoming a thought partner to help with whatever the project may be. Besides being super talented at design, she possesses specific qualities that make her exceptional to work with given the fast paced nature of being a startup. I would definitely recommend her to anyone looking for a talented, professional designer who doesn't need much direction to hit the ground running.
Sahil Khanna
Sr. Manager, Marketing
Darko did a great job figuring out the user architecture for our concept, which led him to produce terrific wireframes. His knowledge of usability and design was a perfect match for the outside voice we needed to help jumpstart our project. We would certainly recommend him and work with him again in the future.
Rich Danker
Founder
Carlos has the unique talent of blending both quantitative and qualitative research to keenly identify UX challenges and opportunities. He thinks methodically, emphatically, and holistically to produce data-driven strategies and well-executed designs. Over the past 8 years of working with fully or partially distributed teams, Carlos manages working remotely far better than anyone I've encountered because of his strong communication and presentation skills. He is the first on my list the next time I need a UX designer.
Michelle Krogmeier
Project Manager
Rafael is an amazing designer. His aesthetic sense is spot on, and he seems to be able to anticipate our needs before we even know what they are. He's taken the time to understand both our company and our clientele, and his solutions are consistently in-line with our values, interests, and our customers' needs. He delivers on time (if not earlier), works quickly, is well organized, and very effective. He's a pleasure to work with, and we're very happy to have found him through Toptal.
Ethan Brooks
CTO
How to Hire Figma Designers Through Toptal
1
Talk to One of Our Industry Experts
A Toptal director of design will work with you to understand your goals, technical needs, and team dynamics.
2
Work With Hand-Selected Talent
Within days, we'll introduce you to the right Figma designer for your project. Average time to match is under 24 hours.
3
The Right Fit, Guaranteed
Work with your new Figma designer for a trial period (pay only if satisfied), ensuring they're the right fit before starting the engagement.
Find Experts With Related Skills
Access a vast pool of skilled designers in our talent network and hire the top 3% within just 48 hours.
The cost associated with hiring a Figma designer depends on various factors, including preferred talent location, complexity and size of the project you’re hiring for, seniority, engagement commitment (hourly, part-time, or full-time), and more. In the US, for example, Glassdoor’s reported average total annual pay for Figma designers is $80,990 as of January 2024. With Toptal, you can speak with an expert talent matcher who will help you understand the cost of talent with the right skills and seniority level for your needs. To get started, schedule a call with us — it’s free, and there’s no obligation to hire with Toptal.
How do I hire a Figma designer?
To hire the right Figma designer, it’s important to evaluate a candidate’s experience, technical skills, and communication skills. You’ll also want to consider the fit with your particular industry, company, and project. Toptal’s rigorous screening process ensures that every member of our network has excellent experience and skills, and our team will match you with the perfect Figma designers for your project.
What exactly does a Figma designer do?
As Figma is an all-in-one design tool, the design process for Figma designers involves using the tool at every stage of web and app design. Figma can be used for both the UI and UX phases of design.
What qualities should you look for in a Figma designer?
Important qualities include tool proficiency; mastery of design fundamentals; focus on users and user-centered design; collaborative and communication skills; Figma certification from a reputable source like FigmaAcademy.com; and a strong portfolio.
How quickly can you hire with Toptal?
Typically, you can hire a Figma designer with Toptal in about 48 hours. For larger teams of talent or Managed Delivery, timelines may vary. Our talent matchers are highly skilled in the same fields they’re matching in—they’re not recruiters or HR reps. They’ll work with you to understand your goals, technical needs, and team dynamics, and match you with ideal candidates from our vetted global talent network.
Once you select your Figma designer, you’ll have a no-risk trial period to ensure they’re the perfect fit. Our matching process has a 98% trial-to-hire rate, so you can rest assured that you’re getting the best fit every time.
How are Toptal Figma designers different?
At Toptal, we thoroughly screen our Figma designers to ensure we only match you with the highest caliber of talent. Of the more than 200,000 people who apply to join the Toptal network each year, fewer than 3% make the cut.
In addition to screening for industry-leading expertise, we also assess candidates’ language and interpersonal skills to ensure that you have a smooth working relationship.
When you hire with Toptal, you’ll always work with world-class, custom-matched Figma designers ready to help you achieve your goals.
Can you hire Figma designers on an hourly basis or for project-based tasks?
You can hire Figma designers on an hourly, part-time, or full-time basis. Toptal can also manage the entire project from end-to-end with our Managed Delivery offering. Whether you hire an expert for a full- or part-time position, you’ll have the control and flexibility to scale your team up or down as your needs evolve. Our Figma designers can fully integrate into your existing team for a seamless working experience.
What is the no-risk trial period for Toptal Figma designers?
We make sure that each engagement between you and your Figma designer begins with a trial period of up to two weeks. This means that you have time to confirm the engagement will be successful. If you’re completely satisfied with the results, we’ll bill you for the time and continue the engagement for as long as you’d like. If you’re not completely satisfied, you won’t be billed. From there, we can either part ways, or we can provide you with another expert who may be a better fit and with whom we will begin a second, no-risk trial.
Atishay is a product designer who has worked in close collaboration with McKinsey & Company and Boston Consulting Group on B2B and B2C products. He has several years of experience working with Figma to create engaging, functional, and easy-to-use products.
The Demand for Figma Designers Continues to Expand
Figma is one of the most popular design tools, and freelance Figma designers are in high demand. According to Forbes, a new website is created every three seconds. Statista reveals that in 2022, 255 billion mobile apps were downloaded. There’s a lot of competition for this important skill. Figma has seen a 40% jump in use since 2019, according to 8designers.com. This design trend is expected to continue.
The US Bureau of Labor and Statistics reported that in 2022, 97,350 UI/UX designers were employed in the US. Hourly wages for these designers ranged from the lowest 10 percent ($20.72 per hour) to the top 10 percent ($79.90).
Before you begin the hiring process, it’s crucial to understand the role of a Figma designer. Figma designers are responsible for creating and maintaining user interfaces (UI) and user experiences (UX) for websites and mobile applications. They use Figma to create wireframes, prototypes, and final design assets.
It can be a challenge to find and hire a skilled Figma designer. This guide describes the key qualities employers should prioritize when hiring freelance and remote Figma designers to create, update, and maintain websites and apps.
What attributes distinguish quality Figma Designers from others?
Top Figma designers possess many of the same design skills as web designers, but just as Figma has its special strengths in graphic design, wireframing and prototyping, design systems, and collaborative design, freelance Figma designers should possess corresponding expertise. Look for these qualities:
Proficiency With Figma
Figma has a steep learning curve. Designers with no experience with Figma may require considerable time to ramp up before achieving mastery of this complex tool. Tool mastery can be demonstrated partly through a designer’s portfolio of past projects. Demonstrating an understanding of Figma concepts like Auto Layout, Constraints, and Variables also help convey proficiency.
Design Fundamentals
All designers should pay attention to design fundamentals. A complex multifarious tool like Figma can be used in myriad ways, so it’s important for Figma designers to have a sound underpinning in training and education. Understanding design principles like design thinking, accessibility, responsiveness, usability, and consistency can help establish a designer’s credentials. If these are backed by certifications, even better.
Consideration of the User Experience
User experience and customer experience are at the heart of modern design. When UI designers and UX researchers are hired for projects, UI designers will focus on users first. Don Norman of Nielsen Norman Group says to always focus on your end user, the person for whom your design is intended. While a Figma designer focuses primarily on visual aesthetics and user interface design, it is important that they do not lose focus on the user experience.
Collaborative Focus
Because Figma has such a strong reputation for supporting design team collaboration, it’s likely that Figma designers will be asked to collaborate, possibly from remote global locations. While interviews are ideal for identifying suitable candidates with strong communication skills, the ability to collaborate as a good teammate goes beyond mere conversational fluency.
Technical Strengths
Like all tools, Figma has its strengths and weaknesses. It’s prudent to hire Figma designers whose skills match the best qualities of the tool. These strengths include an understanding of design principles and design components, the ability to create design systems, mastery of instancing and prototyping, and expertise with vector-based design.
How can you identify the ideal Figma Designer for you?
Identifying the right Figma designer for your project involves understanding the role, evaluating candidates based on specific criteria, and ensuring effective communication throughout the hiring process. Here are some additional considerations:
Selecting the Right Seniority Level for the Job
Candidates with top talent and superior skill levels are always desirable. Those are typically senior designers. Unfortunately, ultra-skilled and talented designers are in high demand and come at a high cost. Depending on your budget and other considerations like team size and talent availability, you may prefer to choose a balance of different levels of experience.
The most common definition of “junior” designer status is having three years or less of experience in the role. Seniority can also be tracked through compensation, though this varies with geographic location. Naturally, senior Figma designers will tend to have above-median hourly rates.
Designers with less experience can still do a great job, especially with guidance, but mid-level and senior candidates are better able to handle unforeseen problems and challenges and are better suited for leadership roles. However, if they haven’t spent several years working with Figma, their skills may not be as sharp as a junior designer who has used Figma exclusively.
Defining Talent Requirements
If you’re looking for a web or app designer with specific experience in Figma, focus on the qualities described above. Additionally, The Brookings Institution’s advice on understanding your organization’s skills gap can also help ensure you are hiring appropriately skilled workers. You can perform this kind of analysis for your entire company or for a single project team, but either way, it will help you hire just the staff you need.
Highlighting the Importance of the Design Brief
When you are comfortable with your project requirements, write a design brief. Sample design briefs are available from Asana and Nuclino, among other sources. Share your design brief to prospective candidates and any talent agencies acting on your behalf.
How to Write a Figma Design Job Description for Your Project
Once you’ve created the design brief, you can merge your unique requirements into existing templates for Figma designer roles. The leading job boards and talent agencies provide templates for job posts for designers, but if you’re writing one from scratch, address the following topics:
Figma Mastery and Certification
If Figma is the necessary tool for your project, Figma proficiency should be a firm requirement in the job posting. The number of years of experience will depend on whether you are looking for a junior, mid-level or senior Figma designer. However, Figma was released in 2016, so be sure to request a realistic amount of experience.
Web vs. App Design
Most digital design projects result in designs for websites, mobile apps, or both platforms. Some designers don’t have experience with both types of design or perhaps only specialize in iPhone or Android phones, so lay out your platform requirements clearly. Websites and apps have to work on an enormous variety of devices and screens, so look for freelance designers with experience in responsive design or adaptive design, keywords associated with design for variable device formats.
Visual vs. Interactive Design
Again, most projects are both visual and interactive, but not all designers are experts in both categories. Specify which of these types of work will be emphasized or require both from the designer, depending on your requirements.
Collaborative Design Experience
Figma provides excellent support for collaborative design. If your project will be a team effort, your job description should emphasize this designer skill set. You should also state whether other designers will be leading or collaborating on the project.
Conventional Job Description Elements
Of course, you also need to specify junior versus senior; team lead versus contributor versus sole designer; remote versus on-site; full-time versus part-time; duration and schedule; and the other expected elements of any job posting.
What are the most important Figma Designer interview questions?
Résumés and portfolios help you filter candidates, but the interview process is an essential next step. Some questions for freelance Figma design candidates include:
How many years of practical experience do you have with Figma?
There’s a difference between someone who has used Figma for three years on every project and a designer who learned the basics of Figma three years ago but never used it professionally. The interview should do a deep dive into past project experience.
How do you employ a user focus in design?
As mentioned, Figma designers must also consider the user, so it’s worthwhile to ask this question in an interview. Candidates should understand user-centered design principles and be aware of current design trends. For example, in 2023, companies sought empathetic, inclusive, and ethically responsible designs, and designers who could create digital experiences that are intuitive, personalized, and aligned with user well-being.
Do you understand the business goals for this project?
Your design brief and job posting should make it clear what you expect from the Figma designer candidate. If they don’t understand your business needs, they won’t be able to fulfill them.
How do you ensure your designs are usable?
Usability is widely acknowledged as one of the two most important design goals (the other is usefulness/utility), but a good designer should be able to describe the practical steps they take toward achieving high usability and high-quality designs.
What are the advantages of using a design system?
Design systems are collections of reusable components. Their utilization is important in creating efficient and effective designs that streamline development and design decisions, encourage standardization across projects, reduce maintenance costs, and conform to brand and product style guides. A designer should be able to explain these advantages.
How valuable are Figma Academy certifications in assessing a Figma designer’s knowledge?
Figma Academy certifications can help when assessing a Figma designer’s knowledge. Evidence of completed courses shows a solid foundation in Figma tools, UI/UX principles, and their alignment with the role’s requirements and other factors that may be more important. While there are many training courses and certifications for Figma, Ridd’s Figma Academy (FigmaAcademy.com) is generally thought to be the most advanced and the most demanding.
Is it important to hire a Figma designer that matches the hiring manager’s business aesthetic?
Everyone has their own aesthetic and their own design style. Of course, you want to hire a designer with innovative ideas. But it’s important for designers to be able to adapt their work to the company’s and the project’s needs and bring the vision to life.
Why do companies hire Figma Designers?
Finding top Figma designers can be challenging, especially if your organization doesn’t have many of these designers on staff or if you are not personally experienced with this kind of hiring.
Candidates need to demonstrate their mastery of the tool, but they also should be able to focus on users first. They need to understand your business goals to satisfy your project requirements. In addition to creative problem-solving abilities, Figma designers need to have strong communication and collaboration skills.
As the manager responsible for hiring freelance Figma designers, you should develop a concise design brief that conveys the nature and outline of the project. Your hiring needs should be presented clearly to prospective candidates to forestall applicants who don’t meet your requirements. Résumé screening will help you dismiss candidates who are unsuitable, but the interview stage is key for verifying candidate skills and also eliciting important qualities that are hard to identify in portfolios.
