I interviewed the founder of Framer

Summary

In this video, Framer's co-founder shares exciting insights into the future of the platform in 2024. He discusses Framer's evolution, the impact of potential competitors like Figma, and the upcoming features, including a CMS API and a plugin store. Emphasizing the platform's focus on design and publishing, he reveals plans for expanding extensibility through plugins and the potential for a template marketplace. The team is dedicated to improving the experience for creators, with future developments like automatic partner payments and enhanced remix link features. The excitement around Framer’s growing ecosystem is palpable, with big things expected in the coming months.

Takeaways

• 😀 Framer is focusing heavily on **plugins** in 2024, aiming to create a robust plugin infrastructure for creators to build and share their own plugins.
• 😀 Framer's **extensibility** will be a key feature, with plans to allow creators to offer plugin collections, enabling more flexibility and customization for web designers.
• 😀 The upcoming **CMS API** for Framer is nearing completion, promising enhanced content management capabilities for users of the platform.
• 😀 Framer is working on improvements to its **template marketplace**, which will streamline the submission process and make it easier for creators to share and discover templates.
• 😀 New features are coming to Framer's partner program, including automatic **partner payments**, allowing creators to receive monthly payments seamlessly.
• 😀 Framer will introduce enhancements to **remix links**, allowing creators to better track their contributions and integrate them into their projects more easily.
• 😀 The company is exploring the possibility of allowing **git integration** for components in the future, which could improve collaboration and sharing within the ecosystem.
• 😀 Framer's roadmap for 2024 includes a strong focus on **web design** and providing the best possible design and publishing platform, with small expansions into the marketing stack.
• 😀 The potential addition of a **publish button in Figma** could impact Framer's growth, but John believes that Figma’s approach would likely not match Framer's capabilities in web building and app development.
• 😀 John is particularly excited about the launch of the **Framer plugin store**, anticipating a marketplace with 100-150 high-quality plugins by the end of the year.

Q & A

What is Framer's vision for 2024?

Framer aims to build the best design and publishing platform for web designers, focusing on creating an ecosystem where creators can build and monetize custom plugins, templates, and other content.

How will Framer's plugin store impact the platform?

The plugin store is expected to unlock new possibilities for creators, allowing them to build meaningful tools, keep all the revenue from their plugins, and share in the revenue generated by the platform.

What are Framer's plans regarding the CMS API?

Framer is actively working on the CMS API, which is expected to be released soon. It will be a key feature for users to manage content on their websites built with Framer.

How does Framer plan to compete with Figma if Figma adds a publish feature?

John believes that if Figma adds a publishing feature, it could affect some Framer users. However, Figma's focus on ideation and prototyping suggests that it will not compete directly with Framer’s website-building capabilities.

What improvements are coming to Framer's template marketplace?

Framer is working on making the template marketplace more accessible by introducing easier remix link generation and automatic partner payments, making it easier for creators to monetize their work.

What role will plugins play in Framer's future?

Plugins will be central to Framer's future, allowing users to extend the platform’s functionality. Framer plans to introduce a robust plugin ecosystem where creators can build plugins, share them, and earn revenue.

What is Framer's stance on component-based design?

While Framer isn't focusing on individual components, it is looking into offering plugins that may allow creators to offer collections of components, which will enhance the flexibility of the platform.

How does Framer plan to improve its partner program?

Framer is enhancing its partner program by improving the remix link generation process and implementing automatic monthly payments for partners through First Promoter, streamlining the revenue-sharing process.

What are John’s main priorities for Framer in the upcoming year?

John is particularly excited about the upcoming plugin store, which he sees as a major unlock for the platform. He anticipates the store will have hundreds of high-quality plugins by the end of 2024.

What will the plugin store allow creators to do?

The plugin store will allow creators to build and monetize their plugins, keep 100% of the revenue from their plugins, and potentially earn revenue based on the success of their creations within the platform.