I’m working on converting a Figma design to a website and I’m facing a challenge with the background design. The background contains multiple complicated elements like various lines, geometric shapes, and other design components that are all created as separate layers in Figma.
I’m not sure about the most efficient method to implement this on the web. Would it be better to combine all these background elements into one group and export it as a single background image? Or are there other approaches that might work better?
The design has many decorative lines and shapes that need to be positioned correctly on the webpage. I want to make sure I choose the right strategy before starting the implementation.
honestly just grab the whole thing as one png/webp and call it a day. trying to recreate every little shape in css is gonna drive you nuts and the file size difference isnt that big these days. ive wasted way too many hours positioning tiny geometric elements that nobody even notices lol
Consider the maintenance aspect that gets overlooked too often. I learned this the hard way when a client wanted background tweaks six months after launch. Having exported everything as one massive image meant going back to Figma, re-exporting, and dealing with positioning issues all over again. Now I take a middle ground where I group related elements logically - maybe combine all the subtle decorative lines into one layer, keep geometric shapes that might need color variations separate, and export structural elements independently. This gives you editing flexibility without the complexity nightmare. Another thing worth mentioning is browser caching behavior. Multiple smaller assets can actually load faster on repeat visits compared to one large background image, especially if users navigate between pages that share some of those elements. The initial load might be slightly slower but the overall user experience improves. Also check if any of those background elements can be achieved with modern CSS features like backdrop-filter or mask-image before defaulting to images.
I’ve dealt with similar complex Figma backgrounds recently and found that the optimal approach depends heavily on whether the elements need to be responsive or static. For purely decorative backgrounds, exporting as a single optimized SVG often works better than a raster image because you maintain scalability without the file size bloat. However, if you need individual elements to animate or respond to user interactions later, keeping them as separate CSS-positioned elements gives you more flexibility. One technique I use is creating the base layer as an image and then overlaying the most important geometric shapes as CSS or inline SVG elements. This hybrid approach lets you optimize the heavy lifting while maintaining control over key interactive pieces. The positioning can be tricky but CSS Grid or absolute positioning with percentage values usually handles the responsive requirements well enough.
Export optimization should be your first consideration here. I typically start by analyzing which background elements actually contribute to the user experience versus pure decoration. For complex Figma backgrounds, I’ve found success using a two-tier approach where the static decorative elements get flattened into a single WebP image for the base layer, while any shapes that might need hover states or animations remain as separate SVG elements. The key is finding the right balance between maintainability and performance. One mistake I made early on was trying to recreate every single geometric shape in CSS, which resulted in messy code and positioning headaches across different screen sizes. Now I prioritize which elements truly need to be separate and combine the rest. Also consider using CSS masks or clip-path properties for some geometric shapes instead of complex SVG paths, as they often render more consistently across browsers and are easier to make responsive.
Performance testing should guide your decision more than theoretical optimization. I ran into this exact scenario last month with a fintech dashboard that had elaborate background patterns. What worked for me was creating a fallback strategy - started with the single image approach to get the layout working quickly, then identified which elements actually needed to be interactive or scalable later. The breakthrough came when I realized most of those decorative lines could be handled with CSS gradients and pseudo-elements rather than individual SVGs or images. This reduced HTTP requests significantly while keeping the visual fidelity intact. One thing that caught me off guard was how differently various devices rendered the complex backgrounds, so I ended up using media queries to serve simplified versions on mobile. Test early with actual content overlaid on the background because what looks good in Figma doesn’t always translate to readable text on web.