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Feb 22, 2024
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Arjun Phlox
Layout Overview
Layout and Sizing
A Framer Tutorial about Layout, in which we’ll cover the differences between Frames, Stacks and Grids, and when to use which.
Frames play a crucial role in freeform design, offering you perks like absolute positioning and layout pinning. A practical picture of this drawn through a demo project reveals creating a button within a frame, and highlights the advantages of absolute positioning.
A crucial aspect covered is layout constraints and pinning within frames. Elements within a frame can be pinned to specific sides, securing their position relative to the frame. Additionally, it's important to understand how resizing can impact pinned elements, thereby allowing you to predict and control your designs better.
Shifting Focus to Stacks
Moving forward, Framer's stacks offer relative positioning, allowing you an extra degree of control and flexibility. By converting the header into a stack and resetting padding values, you can optimize your design easily. Stacks also offer layout control properties such as direction, gap, distribution, and alignment.
Moreover, stacks provide a platform for responsive designs with the inclusion of grids that enable quick iteration between different layouts.
Sizing Options Explored
An essential concept to master within Framer is sizing options, namely fixed, relative, fill and fit content. Understanding the differences between these options can significantly enhance your design control. The impact of auto-sizing and fractional sizing (fill) within a stack is crucial in managing how your design responds to change.
Utilizing Stacks for Page-Level Design
Having grasped these essential concepts, you can then apply stack and auto-sizing principals to entire pages. Once you morph your page into an auto-sizing stack, the layout turns dynamic, self-adjusting to changes in content without requiring manual height adjustments in breakpoints.
This flexibility extends to duplication and rearranging sections within the stack, allowing you to refine your page layout effortlessly. By mastering and implementing these principles, you can create intuitive, engaging, and flexible designs.