The author argues against using icon fonts in Figma due to cumbersome processes for inserting glyphs, the lack of visual previews, challenges in comparing artwork, difficulties in editing, and issues with sharing fonts. Instead, they advocate for using SVG paths stored as main components for better efficiency, flexibility, and design system compatibility.
For a professional interested in design tools and UX design, the key insight is that using SVG paths stored as main components in Figma is more efficient than icon fonts. This approach eliminates the need for cumbersome workflows like memorizing icon names and allows for easy visual previews, keyword-based fuzzy search, and streamlined icon management and customization, which are crucial for maintaining a flexible and responsive design system.