Layers: two contexts, one set of kinds

Every design is built from the same handful of layer kinds — text, image, logo, shape, button, rating, qrcode, illustration, and (import-time only) group. Depending on what you're doing with the API, you'll land on one of two different reference sets for those kinds:

Context	You already have	You're doing	Reference
Generation-time	An existing design	Overriding specific layer values for one render — swap an image, change a color, fill in text	Generation → Element Properties
Import-time	Nothing yet, or a full structure to author	Creating a design from scratch via JSON — declaring every layer, its layout, and its full property set	Design Import → Layer Types

One type in a read response is neither: container. It is the design's own root wrapper, and it shows up in GET /designs/{designId} alongside your layers. You cannot author it, override it or import it — skip it when you walk an element tree.

Do not assume a field name or constraint on one side holds on the other. The two schemas evolve independently — Design Import is in Alpha and can change, while Element Properties is the stable, longer-standing surface — so check the specific page.

Why they aren't the same schema

• Import authors structure, generation overrides values. At import time you declare layout (position/size) and the complete properties object for every layer. At generation time the design already has that structure — you're only sending the subset of properties you want to change for this render.
• Import has layer kinds generation doesn't. group (and masking a group) only make sense when you're building layer structure, so it has no generation-time counterpart — there's nothing to "override" on a container.
• Import carries print/CMYK and multi-format authoring concerns. Physical units, CMYK color tokens, and per-format layout/properties keying are all import-time concerns tied to creating formats. Generation-time overrides apply to a specific already-rendered format and don't need that machinery.

Finding the right page for a layer kind

Each per-type page cross-links to its counterpart:

Kind	Generation-time (override)	Import-time (author)
Text	Element Properties → Text	Layer Types → Text
Image	Element Properties → Image	Layer Types → Image
Logo	Element Properties → Logo	Layer Types → Logo
Shape	Element Properties → Shape	Layer Types → Shape
Button	Element Properties → Button	Layer Types → Button
Rating	Element Properties → Rating	Layer Types → Rating
QR Code	Element Properties → QR Code	Layer Types → QR Code
Illustration	Element Properties → Illustration	Layer Types → Illustration
Group	— (import-only)	Layer Types → Group
Video	Element Properties → Video	Declared inline as part of Animated Imports
Audio	Element Properties → Audio	Declared inline as part of Animated Imports
Root / background	Element Properties → Root	Declared as formats[].background_color on Create Import