Converting Figma to Css for your pages

I find it can be hard to notice differences between my web page, and the Figma design document. So I’ve been trying to figure out how to get pixel perfect css from the already figured out Figma design.

Sometimes I find it overwhelming, but I think following a list of steps helps me to get through these more muddy, and artistic front end tasks.

So here’s my list, cooked up with the help of ChatGPT and a little input of my own, a procedure for stepping through styles so they match your design document.

1. Global Reset and Base Styles

  • Apply a CSS reset or use normalize.css.
  • Define base styles for html, body, and common elements (h1–h6, p, a, etc.).
    • font-family
    • font-size
    • color
    • line-height
    • background-color

2. Typography

For each text element:

  • Set font-family.
  • Set font-size.
  • Set font-weight.
  • Set line-height.
  • Set letter-spacing.
  • Set color.
  • Set text-align or vertical-align.

3. Box Model Properties

  • Define width and height (or use max-width and max-height if constraints are needed).
  • Apply margin (outer spacing).
  • Apply padding (inner spacing).
  • Define border styles (if applicable).

4. Positioning

  • Set display property (block, flex, grid, etc.).
  • Define position (static, relative, absolute, etc.).
  • Adjust top, right, bottom, left if needed.
  • Set z-index (if applicable).

5. Spacing and Layout

  • Adjust spacing with gap for Flexbox or Grid layouts.
  • Define align-items, justify-content, or place-items (for alignment within containers).
  • Apply float or clear if using older layout methods.

6. Background and Borders

  • Set background-color.
  • Add background-image (if applicable).
    • Define background-size, background-position, background-repeat.
  • Apply border-radius.
  • Add box-shadow (if applicable).

7. Interaction Styles

  • Define styles for pseudo-classes:
    • hover
    • focus
    • active
  • Set cursor styles (e.g., pointer, default).
  • Add transitions or animations for smooth effects.

8. Responsive Design

  • Add media queries for key breakpoints.
  • Adjust font sizes for smaller or larger screens.
  • Update spacing or layout for different viewports.

Additional Notes

  • Work from larger containers to smaller, nested elements (top-down approach).
  • Group related styles logically for clarity and maintainability.
  • Match Figma layer names with CSS class/ID names for easy reference.
  • Frequently test styles in the browser to ensure accuracy and proper behavior.