design-to-component-translator

Design-to-Component Translator

Convert design specifications into pixel-perfect, production-ready React components.

Core Workflow

Analyze design specs: Extract spacing, colors, typography, dimensions
Map to tokens: Convert design values to design system tokens
Generate structure: Create semantic HTML structure
Apply styles: Implement Tailwind/CSS with exact measurements
Add states: Include hover, focus, active, disabled states
Handle responsive: Implement breakpoint-specific rules
Ensure accessibility: Add ARIA labels, keyboard navigation
Document variants: List all visual states and props

Design Spec Analysis

Extract from Figma/Design

Spacing & Layout:

Padding: p-4 (16px), px-6 (24px horizontal)
Margin: m-2 (8px), mt-4 (16px top)
Gap: gap-3 (12px between flex items)
Width/Height: w-64 (256px), h-10 (40px)

Typography:

Font family: font-sans , font-mono
Font size: text-sm (14px), text-base (16px), text-lg (18px)
Font weight: font-normal (400), font-medium (500), font-semibold (600)
Line height: leading-tight , leading-normal , leading-relaxed
Letter spacing: tracking-tight , tracking-normal , tracking-wide

Colors:

Background: bg-blue-500 , bg-gray-100
Text: text-gray-900 , text-white
Border: border-gray-300 , border-blue-600
Opacity: bg-opacity-50 , text-opacity-75

Borders & Radius:

Border width: border , border-2 , border-t-4
Border radius: rounded (4px), rounded-md (6px), rounded-lg (8px), rounded-full

Shadows:

shadow-sm , shadow , shadow-md , shadow-lg , shadow-xl

Design Token Mapping

Create Token System

// tokens.ts export const tokens = { colors: { primary: { 50: "#eff6ff", 100: "#dbeafe", 500: "#3b82f6", 600: "#2563eb", 700: "#1d4ed8", }, gray: { 100: "#f3f4f6", 300: "#d1d5db", 500: "#6b7280", 700: "#374151", 900: "#111827", }, }, spacing: { xs: "0.25rem", // 4px sm: "0.5rem", // 8px md: "1rem", // 16px lg: "1.5rem", // 24px xl: "2rem", // 32px }, fontSize: { xs: ["0.75rem", { lineHeight: "1rem" }], sm: ["0.875rem", { lineHeight: "1.25rem" }], base: ["1rem", { lineHeight: "1.5rem" }], lg: ["1.125rem", { lineHeight: "1.75rem" }], xl: ["1.25rem", { lineHeight: "1.75rem" }], }, borderRadius: { sm: "0.25rem", // 4px md: "0.375rem", // 6px lg: "0.5rem", // 8px full: "9999px", }, shadows: { sm: "0 1px 2px 0 rgb(0 0 0 / 0.05)", md: "0 4px 6px -1px rgb(0 0 0 / 0.1)", lg: "0 10px 15px -3px rgb(0 0 0 / 0.1)", }, };

Tailwind Config

// tailwind.config.js module.exports = { theme: { extend: { colors: { primary: { 50: "#eff6ff", 100: "#dbeafe", 500: "#3b82f6", 600: "#2563eb", 700: "#1d4ed8", }, }, spacing: { 18: "4.5rem", 88: "22rem", }, fontSize: { "2xs": "0.625rem", }, }, }, };

Component Translation Examples

Button from Figma Spec

Figma Specs:

Height: 40px
Padding: 12px 24px
Border radius: 6px
Font: Inter Medium 14px
Background: #3B82F6
Text: #FFFFFF
Hover: #2563EB
Shadow: 0 1px 3px rgba(0,0,0,0.1)

Translated Component:

import { cn } from "@/lib/utils";

interface ButtonProps extends React.ButtonHTMLAttributes<HTMLButtonElement> { variant?: "primary" | "secondary"; size?: "sm" | "md" | "lg"; }

export const Button = ({ variant = "primary", size = "md", className, children, ...props }: ButtonProps) => { return ( <button className={cn( // Base styles "inline-flex items-center justify-center rounded-md font-medium", "transition-colors duration-200", "focus-visible:outline-none focus-visible:ring-2 focus-visible:ring-primary-500 focus-visible:ring-offset-2", "disabled:pointer-events-none disabled:opacity-50", // Variant: Primary (matches Figma) variant === "primary" && [ "bg-primary-500 text-white shadow-sm", "hover:bg-primary-600", "active:bg-primary-700", ], // Size: Medium (40px height, 12px 24px padding) size === "md" && "h-10 px-6 text-sm", className )} {...props} > {children} </button> ); };

Card from Design Spec

Figma Specs:

Padding: 24px
Border radius: 12px
Background: #FFFFFF
Border: 1px solid #E5E7EB
Shadow: 0 1px 3px rgba(0,0,0,0.1)
Max width: 400px

Translated Component:

interface CardProps extends React.HTMLAttributes<HTMLDivElement> { elevated?: boolean; }

export const Card = ({ elevated = false, className, children, ...props }: CardProps) => { return ( <div className={cn( // Base from Figma "max-w-sm rounded-xl bg-white p-6", "border border-gray-200", // Conditional shadow elevated ? "shadow-lg" : "shadow-sm", // Hover state (not in Figma, but good UX) "transition-shadow duration-200 hover:shadow-md", className )} {...props} > {children} </div> ); };

Interaction States

Hover States

// Figma: Background changes from #3B82F6 to #2563EB on hover className={cn( 'bg-primary-500', 'hover:bg-primary-600', 'transition-colors duration-200' )}

Focus States

// Accessible focus ring className={cn( 'focus:outline-none', 'focus-visible:ring-2 focus-visible:ring-primary-500 focus-visible:ring-offset-2' )}

Active/Pressed States

// Figma: Slightly darker on click className={cn( 'active:bg-primary-700', 'active:scale-[0.98]', // Slight scale down 'transition-all duration-100' )}

Disabled States

// Figma: 50% opacity, no interactions className={cn( 'disabled:opacity-50', 'disabled:cursor-not-allowed', 'disabled:pointer-events-none' )}

Responsive Design Translation

Breakpoint Mapping

// Figma artboards → Tailwind breakpoints // Mobile (375px): default (no prefix) // Tablet (768px): md: // Desktop (1024px): lg: // Wide (1280px): xl:

Responsive Typography

// Figma mobile: 14px, desktop: 16px <h1 className="text-sm md:text-base lg:text-lg font-semibold"> Responsive Heading </h1>

Responsive Spacing

// Figma mobile: 16px padding, desktop: 24px <div className="p-4 md:p-6 lg:p-8">Content</div>

Design System Integration

Using shadcn/ui Patterns

// Leveraging shadcn's composable approach import { cn } from "@/lib/utils";

const buttonVariants = cva( "inline-flex items-center justify-center rounded-md text-sm font-medium transition-colors focus-visible:outline-none focus-visible:ring-2 focus-visible:ring-ring focus-visible:ring-offset-2 disabled:opacity-50 disabled:pointer-events-none ring-offset-background", { variants: { variant: { default: "bg-primary text-primary-foreground hover:bg-primary/90", destructive: "bg-destructive text-destructive-foreground hover:bg-destructive/90", outline: "border border-input hover:bg-accent hover:text-accent-foreground", secondary: "bg-secondary text-secondary-foreground hover:bg-secondary/80", ghost: "hover:bg-accent hover:text-accent-foreground", link: "underline-offset-4 hover:underline text-primary", }, size: { default: "h-10 py-2 px-4", sm: "h-9 px-3 rounded-md", lg: "h-11 px-8 rounded-md", icon: "h-10 w-10", }, }, defaultVariants: { variant: "default", size: "default", }, } );

Color System Translation

From Figma to CSS Variables

/* Figma colors → CSS variables / :root { / Primary from Figma #3B82F6 */ --primary: 221 83% 60%; --primary-foreground: 0 0% 100%;

/* Secondary from Figma #6B7280 */ --secondary: 220 9% 46%; --secondary-foreground: 0 0% 100%;

/* Backgrounds */ --background: 0 0% 100%; --foreground: 222 47% 11%;

/* Borders */ --border: 220 13% 91%; --input: 220 13% 91%; --ring: 221 83% 60%;

/* Radius from Figma */ --radius: 0.5rem; }

Using in Components

<div className="bg-background text-foreground border-border"> <button className="bg-primary text-primary-foreground">Button</button> </div>

Animation & Transitions

Micro-interactions from Figma

// Figma: Button scales slightly on hover <button className={cn( 'transition-all duration-200', 'hover:scale-105', 'active:scale-95' )}> Hover me </button>

// Figma: Card lifts on hover <div className={cn( 'transition-all duration-300', 'hover:-translate-y-1 hover:shadow-lg' )}> Card content </div>

// Figma: Fade in on mount <div className="animate-in fade-in duration-500"> Fading content </div>

Measurement Conversion

Figma Pixels → Tailwind Classes

Figma Tailwind Value

2px 0.5 0.125rem

4px 1 0.25rem

8px 2 0.5rem

12px 3 0.75rem

16px 4 1rem

20px 5 1.25rem

24px 6 1.5rem

32px 8 2rem

40px 10 2.5rem

48px 12 3rem

Custom Values

// Figma: 18px (not in default Tailwind) <div className="w-[18px] h-[18px]">{/* or add to config */}</div>

Accessibility Mapping

From Visual Design to A11y

// Figma shows disabled state <button disabled={isDisabled} aria-disabled={isDisabled} className={cn( isDisabled && 'opacity-50 cursor-not-allowed' )}

Submit </button>

// Figma shows error state <input aria-invalid={hasError} aria-describedby={hasError ? 'error-message' : undefined} className={cn( hasError && 'border-red-500 focus:ring-red-500' )} />

Common Patterns

Form Input Translation

Figma Specs:

Height: 44px
Padding: 12px 16px
Border: 1px #D1D5DB
Border radius: 8px
Focus border: 2px #3B82F6

Icon Button Translation

Figma Specs:

Size: 40x40px
Icon: 20x20px centered
Border radius: 8px
Background hover: #F3F4F6

<button className={cn( "flex h-10 w-10 items-center justify-center rounded-lg", "text-gray-700 transition-colors", "hover:bg-gray-100", "focus-visible:ring-2 focus-visible:ring-primary-500" )}

Best Practices

Measure twice: Verify all measurements match Figma exactly
Use design tokens: Map to tokens, not hardcoded values
All states: Include hover, focus, active, disabled, error
Responsive: Implement all breakpoints from design
Accessibility: Add ARIA where Figma shows states
Animations: Match transition timings to design
Dark mode: If designs exist, implement with class variants
Component variants: Create reusable variant props
Documentation: Note any deviations from design
Review: Get designer approval on implementation

Output Checklist

Every design-to-component translation should include:

Exact spacing matching Figma measurements
Typography scales and weights
All color values from design system
Border radius and shadows
Hover state styling
Focus state styling (accessible)
Active/pressed state styling
Disabled state styling
Responsive breakpoint rules
Design token mapping documented
Accessibility attributes
Component variants for states

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