I’ve been working with Figma designs lately and I’m struggling with element positioning. When I try to implement designs using flexbox or CSS grid, the final result doesn’t match the original design perfectly. The spacing and alignment seem off compared to what I see in Figma.
Should I be using absolute positioning instead to get pixel-perfect layouts? I’m worried about how this would affect mobile responsiveness though. What’s the best approach to balance design accuracy with responsive behavior? Any tips for maintaining the visual integrity of Figma designs while keeping the code flexible for different screen sizes?
Converting Figma designs gets way easier when you figure out auto-layout vs regular positioning. Most spacing headaches happen because people don’t catch when Figma components use auto-layout - which translates straight to CSS flexbox. Study the spacing behavior first: is this element locked in place or does it flow with the content? For responsive stuff, I create a spacing scale that matches Figma’s design tokens instead of copying exact pixels. Keeps things consistent but flexible across breakpoints. And definitely talk to your designer about what needs exact positioning vs what can adapt.
The biggest thing I learned: Figma and browsers handle measurements totally differently. Figma uses fractional pixels, but browsers snap everything to whole pixels - that’s why you’re getting those weird alignment issues. I started rounding my spacing values and switched to rem or em units for typography spacing instead of copying exact pixels from Figma. Game changer was creating a CSS reset that matches Figma’s defaults. Browsers come with their own margins and line heights that mess everything up. For tricky layouts, I sketch out the CSS structure with semantic HTML first, then add positioning. Saves me from going crazy with absolute positioning just to match the design perfectly.
figma’s spacing can def be tricky. i often take screenshots of the layout and overlay them on my code to see if anything’s off. also check if figma’s using diff font rendering, that can ruin ur spacing. but seriously, pixel perfect isn’t always needed, close works for most stuff.
After working on several client projects, here’s what works: use flexbox and grid as your foundation, then add absolute positioning only when you need it for specific elements. I build the main layout with flexbox or grid first, then use absolute positioning for things like badges, overlays, or floating components that need exact placement. Don’t eyeball spacing - grab the values directly from Figma’s inspect panel. I use CSS custom properties for consistent spacing throughout the project. For responsive design, I create breakpoint-specific spacing variables that scale proportionally. This gets you designs that look accurate and work well across all devices.
Honestly, just accept it won’t be pixel-perfect. Browsers render differently than Figma anyway. I use grid for main layout sections and flexbox for smaller components - works fine most of the time. Focus on getting proportions right instead of obsessing over every pixel. Users won’t notice small differences.