Learn Ui Design By Erik Kennedy Updated 2021 ((new)) Jun 2026

The modernized the curriculum just enough to bridge the gap between the old "Sketch era" and the current "Figma-ecosystem era." It teaches you how to think systematically, speak the language of product managers, and deliver high-fidelity screens that look like they were built by a senior designer at Google or Apple.

This article breaks down exactly what the 2021 update changed, why Erik Kennedy’s method crushes traditional learning, and whether this course is the missing piece in your design career.

Perhaps the most crucial part for career changers, this section covers: learn ui design by erik kennedy updated 2021

The 2021 refresh brought several critical improvements that kept the material relevant for modern design workflows:

a) Constraints b) Variants c) Plugins

Deep dives into designing form controls, icons, lists, tables, and data visualizations.

Before we dissect the 2021 updates, it is crucial to understand the instructor. Erik Kennedy is not a YouTuber who learned Figma last month. He is a principal designer at a top-tier design agency (DesignJoy) and a former software engineer. The modernized the curriculum just enough to bridge

The 2021 update was the last "pure" version before the AI hype cycle. It focuses on hand-crafted craft, which is ironically rarer and more valuable today than ever.

One of the most lauded sections of the course is the approach to color. Instead of relying on abstract artistic taste, Kennedy teaches a numbers-based system using HSB (Hue, Saturation, Brightness) . Students learn how to pick colors, adjust them mathematically to reduce visual clash, and create mood-based palettes. Before we dissect the 2021 updates, it is

: While the course uses Figma for demonstrations, the principles apply equally to Sketch, Adobe XD, or Penpot.

The core principles of UI design (spacing, contrast, hierarchy, affordance) do not expire. The 2021 update is still 95% relevant today because we are still using Figma, still designing for mobile/responsive web, and still following the same human psychology.