How to Build a Strong Collaboration Between Frontend Developers and Designers

I recently did a small audit of articles on this topic and observed how this communication works in our teams — and I want to remind everyone that there are no real obstacles to a great relationship between frontend developers and designers.

🌱 The Root of the "Conflict"

Let’s start with the truth: there’s no serious conflict between frontend developers and designers — and there shouldn't be. We’re all great people who usually get along just fine outside of work. But inside the production process, some misunderstandings can happen.

The core reason lies in the difference in our goals and approaches. A designer’s job is to create an intuitive and beautiful interface. The frontend developer’s job is to make sure that interface is performant and functional. Together, we all want to build a great product and improve the user experience.

💡 Example

Sometimes designers envision a beautiful animation for the homepage — but it might not perform well on mobile or might be impossible to implement on a tight deadline (which is often the case in custom development). Then we, as frontend developers, have to say, “Sorry, this one’s not going to happen.”

That’s when the negotiations begin: we ask designers to suggest an alternative visual solution, and they ask us to find a way to make their idea work.

🧭 Communication Is Key

At the end of the day, the main reason for any friction between frontend and design is the lack of proper communication and alignment. And the solution? It lies in the same place where the problem started.

So, let’s talk about how to set up a few simple processes that can bring back clarity, collaboration, and mutual understanding.

🗣️ 1) Start Communicating More — Literally

If communication is lacking, the most obvious solution is to talk more — and do it consistently. You can introduce any mechanisms that work for your team, but the most basic and effective ones are:

• Cross-functional meetings — like a design review with a frontend developer present. If you involve frontend early in the prototyping stage, they can immediately point out what will be easy to implement and what might be problematic. A shared knowledge base is always a good idea.

• “Liaisons” for collaboration — The term "liaison" is arbitrary, but the idea is simple: there should be dedicated people from both development and design who regularly sync up to check in on progress and surface any cross-team questions.

A note on the second point: Yes, in many companies this role is handled by a project manager. But over time, this often turns into a game of broken telephone. That’s why it's better if, for example, the art director and team lead can discuss current issues directly.

I see this need at work all the time: developers come to me with questions only designers can answer. And when there's a dedicated sync for such clarifications — I don't have to guess. I just check with the art director.

These syncs also help clarify the current status of design files. Often, there are multiple versions — a working draft and a client-facing version — and they don’t always stay in sync. It’s much easier to clarify on a quick call than to build something that ends up being unnecessary.

🧩 2) Keep the UI Kit Up to Date

To make life easier for everyone, the design file must include a UI kit. This allows developers to immediately see which fonts and UI components are used in the project. And of course, it’s important that the mockup always follows the UI kit. Keep it updated and inform the frontend team of any changes.

In long-term product teams, it's best to use Figma plugins that sync components directly with the codebase. Simply put, this allows you to create a coded version of your UI kit — super convenient.

In contract-based development, there’s rarely enough time for this. But if there were, it would be awesome. This kind of setup ensures that UI kits and all mockups stay current at all times. It reduces the risk of errors, rework, and unnecessary meetings.

It’s also great when both teams have documented rules for how UI elements should be used. Developers need to see not just the design of a button but also examples of how it's used. This helps us implement semi-automated rules in code — so that, say, headings are styled correctly by default.

Bonus Tip: Use tests to ensure the layout matches design guidelines. For example, screenshot testing will immediately show if something on the rendered page differs from the design. This is helpful for developers, designers doing UI reviews, and QA testers alike.

🛠️ 3) Introduce a Clear Process — at Every Level

There are several ways to make collaboration smoother:

• Mutual Reviews: When a page is ready, a designer can validate it for guideline and mockup consistency. Likewise, when a design is ready, a developer should review it too — raise concerns about certain elements or ask questions if something is unclear.

• Checklists: A design shouldn't move forward unless all states and screen resolutions are accounted for. For example, we've introduced basic resolution checklists so developers don’t have to guess how the design should look on various devices.

• Project Retrospectives: Frontend and design teams review what went well and what caused friction. Recurring issues can be discussed and added to those same checklists to prevent future mistakes.

Additionally, for some projects, it’s helpful to create glossaries so that all teams speak the same language. In product teams, this usually lives in the internal knowledge base. For example, everyone agrees that a “spinner” is a loading wheel (like on YouTube), while a “loader” is a progress bar (like during file downloads). On e-commerce projects, it’s important to distinguish between a catalog page and a landing page. The more UI components you have, the greater the need for a shared glossary.

During sprint planning, it's also important to evaluate the implementation cost of each design. Just because frontend can implement something doesn’t mean they’ll have time. Sometimes we need to proceed iteratively — pick a simpler visual for the MVP, and implement the full version later as agreed with the design team.

🤝 4) Always Seek Compromise

It’s crucial for both teams to understand that there’s a gap between perfection and reality. Any project can be done very well — but someone will always say: “It’s not perfect.” That’s why both sides need to be willing to compromise. Without that, building a great site on time is almost impossible.

Recently, our design team came up with a cool animation for a client: a droplet that followed the mouse pointer. It looked beautiful and realistic. But on weaker devices, the animation started to lag. We had to remove the droplet. The final result still looked nice — just without the element everyone initially loved. The takeaway? Sometimes you need to sacrifice beauty for performance.

In most cases, it’s probably easier for designers to compromise — not because they’re more flexible, but because development is limited by technology. We have to consider device performance, page load speed, and SEO — since fast loading times are critical for search engines.

🎨 If you're a designer, share in the comments: who do you think finds it easier to compromise?

Ultimately, companies should cultivate a culture of mutual respect. The broader and deeper the dialogue between frontend and design, the fewer conflicts arise. We’re always willing to try things that initially seem impossible — and our designer colleagues are mindful of our limitations. If your team leads with empathy and collaboration, you’ll always find common ground.

✅ Conclusion

Frontend developers and designers are not rivals — we're allies with a shared goal: to create intuitive, high-performing, and visually appealing products. Miscommunication happens not because of bad intentions, but because of misaligned expectations and a lack of structured collaboration.

By establishing clear processes, improving communication, maintaining up-to-date UI kits, and being open to compromise, we can eliminate friction and build a smoother, more efficient workflow.

The truth is simple: the better we understand each other, the better the product becomes.

Let’s keep talking, syncing, and supporting each other — because great digital experiences are built by united teams.