For years we designed the way everyone does: static mockups in a design tool, approved pixel by pixel, then handed to developers to “make real.” The problem is that a static mockup is a promise the browser can’t always keep.
A layout that looks perfect at one fixed width falls apart at every other width. Type that’s crisp in the design tool renders differently in a real browser. And the moment something moves — a hover, a scroll, a load — the mockup has nothing to say.
Design where it ships
So we moved the work into the browser. We still sketch and explore in Figma, but the real design decisions happen in HTML and CSS, on the actual device, at every actual size.
“A static mockup is a promise the browser can’t always keep.”
The payoff is immediate. Clients click a real link on their real phone in week two, not a flat image. Responsive behavior is designed, not discovered late. And the “handoff” mostly disappears, because the design already is the code.
What this means for you
- You review real, clickable pages — not pictures of pages
- Nothing surprising happens between design and launch
- The final build is faster, because it started on day one
It’s not the right method for every team. But for a small studio that ships its own code, designing in the browser is the difference between guessing and knowing.