To get the most out of Framer, you need to understand the canvas: how frames, stacks, components, and interactions fit together. This guide explains the mental model so beginners can build confidently.

The Canvas as a Structured Space

Everything in Framer lives inside frames on a canvas. Think of frames as containers for layout, and stacks as tools for aligning and distributing elements inside those frames.

Frames, Stacks, and Constraints

Key concepts:

• Frames define boundaries—sections, cards, entire pages.

• Stacks control alignment, spacing, and responsive behavior in one dimension.

• Constraints dictate how elements behave when the viewport changes.

Components on the Canvas

Components are reusable building blocks. On the canvas you can:

• Place and configure component instances.

• Swap variants, apply different content, or tweak layout properties.

• Maintain consistent behavior across dozens of pages.

Interactions and Motion

You can attach interactions to layers on the canvas—hover, click, scroll—to trigger motion, navigation, and micro-animations.

Conclusion

Once you understand the canvas as a combination of frames, stacks, constraints, and components, Framer becomes much less intimidating. It feels less like “magic” and more like a structured, visual front-end environment.