My Essential Figma Plugins for Product & Design Systems

I spend most of my time building and maintaining design systems, shipping product UI, and helping teams simplify their stack. These are the plugins that consistently earn their spot in my toolbar. They speed up audits, reduce friction, and help me keep systems clean, scalable, and dev‑friend

I've included how I personally use each plugin. If you're running a design system or scaling a product, you'll likely find at least a few of these indispensable.

1. Variable Visualizer

Visual variable creation for faster and better variables setup

I use Variable Visualizer to plan and sanity‑check variable architecture: token groupings, mode consistency (light/dark/brand), and dependency chains. It’s the quickest way I’ve found to spot gaps before variables hit production files.

Why I like it

- See variable relationships at a glance
- Catch naming or scoping issues early
- Safer, cleaner variable creation without guesswork

Note: I’ll publish a separate deep‑dive on Variable Visualizer—how I structure naming, modes, and migration patterns.

Try Plugin

2. Beautiful Shadows

Tasteful, realistic elevation in seconds

Beautiful Shadows lets me dial in soft, modern elevation without fiddling with X/Y/Blur values. Great for system elevation scales and quick polish on UI. I typically generate a reference set, then translate it to tokens.

Why I like it

- Consistent shadow presets that feel modern (not “1999 drop shadow”)
- Faster to build elevation ramps for component states
- Easy handoff: convert results into tokens/styles

Try Plugin

3. Gist

Component documentation where it lives—inside Figma

I use Gist to generate lean documentation pages for components: usage notes, property tables, do’s/don’ts, and examples. It’s ideal when you want searchable, co‑located docs that stay close to the source of truth.

Why I like it

- Lightweight docs without leaving Figma
- Clear property/state tables for devs
- Great for onboarding and review cycles

Try Plugin

4. Missing Components

Find broken links and missing mains across files

Missing Components is my audit buddy for design system hygiene. It surfaces instances pointing to deleted main components or missing variants—so I can fix or replace them fast.

Why I like it

- Reveals fragile spots after refactors or library changes
- Speeds up migrations/cleanup in large files
- Reduces “mystery detaches” and visual drift

Try Plugin

5. Stark

Accessibility checks baked into the workflow

I run Stark during design and QA passes to validate contrast and simulate common vision types. It’s a quick way to catch issues before handoff.

Why I like it

- Fast contrast checks against WCAG
- Simulations to validate color decisions
- Helpful during palette and state design

Try Plugin

6. Supa Palette (paid)

Smart palette generation with contrast in mind

For new brands or palette refreshes, Supa Palette is my generator of choice. It helps produce usable color scales that hold up in UI—then I map those into tokens and variables.

Why I like it

- Quickly explore multiple scales/steps
- Helps maintain contrast targets across tones
- Good starting point before systemizing in tokens

Try Plugin

7. Tokens Studio for Figma (paid)

Serious token management for multi‑brand systems

When systems get complex, Tokens Studio is the backbone: design tokens in JSON, multi‑theme setup, composition tokens, and sync with repos. I also use custom scripts/generators for advanced cases.

Why I like it

- Scales across brands, themes, and platforms
- JSON as a source of truth + Git workflows
- Flexible enough for advanced pipelines and codegen

Try Plugin

Note: I’ll also publish a separate post on Tokens Studio—covering multi‑brand setups, naming conventions, and automation.

8. Tabler Icons (my go‑to icon set)

Clean, consistent icons with multiple weights

Tabler Icons is the set I reach for first. Multiple weights, great coverage, and consistent geometry make it ideal for product UI work.

Why I like it

- Multiple weights (from thin to fill/duotone) keep icons adaptable
- Raw strokes make style adjustments easy
- Reliable, cohesive feel across large interfaces

Try Plugin

9. Layer Counter

Quick complexity snapshot during audits

For design system audits, Layer Counter gives me a read on component complexity—layer counts, nested depth, and variants—so I can estimate refactor effort quickly.

Why I like it

- Instant signal on “hidden” complexity
- Useful for prioritizing cleanup and simplification
- Great companion to naming/structure reviews

Try Plugin

10. Apply current background to all pages

Tiny plugin, outsized time savings

It’s a small thing, but Apply current background to all pages saves minutes every time I need change canvas background in Figma. One click and the file feels coherent again.

Why I like it

- Easy apply the same background color to all your Figma pages within the file
- One of those utilities you miss when it’s not there

Try Plugin

Final thought

Tools don’t replace thinking—but the right ones remove friction. If you’re scaling a product or maturing a design system, start with Stark, Missing Components, and Tokens Studio. Add Variable Visualizer and Supa Palette when you’re shaping your token and color strategy.

Need help auditing your Figma setup or standing up a design system? I run targeted audits, set up tokens/variables, and streamline designer→dev workflows.