How to build a local (Figma) community
We need local communities more than ever.
After unsuccessfully searching for a design community in Frankfurt, I applied to become a Figma Community Advocate in March 2020 and started building Friends of Figma, Frankfurt.
Three years later, we have a small but active group in Frankfurt that hosts regular in-person events, including networking meetups and speaker sessions. Today, I’d like to share my experience and thoughts on building a local (Figma) community, in the hope that it might help you get started.
Determined to start
To build a local community, the first and most important thing you need is determination. There’s a reason why most people prefer to join an existing community or wait if they can’t find one: there are simply too many obstacles along the way. You have to find a good venue, contact potential speakers and sponsors, grow the community, maintain a good vibe, and handle many other tasks that come up unexpectedly. Without determination, you won’t go far.
Where you live matters
If you live in a big city like San Francisco, New York, or Barcelona, you won’t have trouble finding enough people to start a community. But if you live in a smaller city like Frankfurt, the challenge is on a different level.
When I started building Friends of Figma, Frankfurt, I tried everything I could to recruit new members. I posted on the Frankfurt subreddit, shared in Facebook groups, and attended after-work meetups to ask if there were designers. After several months, I finally found a few designers, and we held our first in-person meetup.
So, if you live in a smaller city, lower your expectations and be patient—especially avoid comparing your community to those in big tech hubs.
Apply to become a Figma Community Leader
I like Figma. It's cool and is one of the few tech companies that doesn't plan to monetize our attention. It reminds me of the era before social media, when many tech companies were genuinely interesting. Figma has a program called Friends of Figma, which includes communities based in various cities or countries. Anyone can apply to become a leader if there's no community in their city yet, or a co-leader if one already exists. You can read all the details here: https://friends.figma.com/become-a-user-group-leader/
Although you won’t get paid, your community will receive free Figma Professional Plan, swag, and—most importantly—the trust that comes from being an official community. It's much easier to attract new members when people see your group is officially recognized. Organizing events for designers is also enjoyable because designers are usually good at talking with each other. After all, it's part of their job. Your role is just to bring them together and enjoy the atmosphere.
Start with in-person meetups
It’s tempting to start with online events. People from around the world—not just your small city—will RSVP. You’ll feel excited seeing a high number of RSVPs and expect a great event.
However, moderating online events is difficult and requires strong skills. It’s also hard for attendees to build connections online. Even worse, most attendees won’t show up at all or will get bored within the first five minutes and leave. Often, people click RSVP simply because it's easy, not because they they genuinely want to attend your event.
In my opinion, online events only work well for mature communities whose members already know each other. They're not effective for forming new communities. Always start with in-person meetups. Even if fewer people RSVP, those who attend will truly enjoy the event and are more likely to become active members who help the community grow.
Spread the word
Share the event link everywhere! Post regularly before the event to remind people. Take photos during the event and share them afterward on social media. People like seeing other people's faces (I still don't fully understand why). Photos also show potential attendees that your event is friendly, welcoming, and worth joining next time.
Active members matter
You recognize potential active members when you see them. They arrive on time and message you if they can’t. They offer help. They like talking to people. Take care of your active members. Listen to them. With them, you can always keep the community going and have wonderful events—even with only a few attendees.
A small community is also good (or even better)
Don’t feel discouraged if your community is small. In a small community, members can have deeper conversations and get to know each other better. Keep organizing regular events, even if you only have five members. The true meaning of a community is to create connections between people, not to grow endlessly. Deep human connections aren’t scalable. The world would be a much better place if we rejected the Silicon Valley philosophy of scaling everything.
“Make the calls myself”
Some people hesitate to build a community because they're anxious about talking to others or believe they lack social skills. They think, “I don’t even attend many meetups. How could I possibly organize one?”
In reality, building a community is one of the most effective ways to overcome this anxiety. One of my favorite writers, Susan Sontag, once wrote:
“The way to overcome X is to feel (be) active, not passive. I feel anxious when the phone rings - therefore I don't answer or I get someone else to. The way to beat that is not to force myself to answer the phone. It is to make the calls myself.”
—Susan Sontag, Reborn: Journals and Notebooks, 1947-1963
This is some of the best life advice I’ve ever come across. By becoming proactive and taking the initiative, you’ll be surprised at how much less fear and anxiety you experience.
The importance of local community today
People are spending more and more time online, especially after COVID. Some may argue that connections can be formed digitally, but in my opinion, there are no real connections in the online world.
This isn’t just because it lacks multi-sensory interactions—like eye contact, body language, and vocal tone—but also due to the echo chambers created by algorithms. Most of the time, you’re only seeing a reflection of yourself—not other people.
This might sound very old-fashioned: I still like the physical world. This world. It’s far from perfect, but it’s still the only world where your body exists. In local community events, you must learn how to talk to people with different opinions. You can’t ghost them or turn off your camera. You have to be polite. It’s beneficial for your social skills and also crucial to our democratic society, because democracy is an ongoing conversation. If people stop talking to each other, democracy itself is at risk of collapsing. To build a local community is to create a space where people can encounter each other and have conversations.
We need local communities more than ever—and you can start building one today. I wish you a successful and vibrant local community.