Start with structure, not style

The biggest mistake I see in Framer projects is jumping straight into visual design before the structure is solid. Before I touch a color or a font I map out every page, every section, and every component that will be needed. This saves enormous amounts of time later and prevents the kind of structural debt that makes a project painful to hand off.

Build the design system first

Every Framer project I take on starts with a design system. Colors, typography, spacing, and base components all get defined before a single page layout is built. In Framer this means setting up your variables early and making sure every element on every page references them. When a client wants to change the primary color it should take thirty seconds not three hours.

Components over one offs

If something appears more than once it becomes a component. No exceptions. This applies to buttons, cards, navigation items, section headers — everything. Framer's component system is powerful and underused by most builders. Taking the time to build proper components with variants pays back tenfold during revisions.

Interactions last

I add interactions and animations at the very end of a build. Not because they are unimportant but because building them before the layout is locked creates a maintenance nightmare. Once the structure and content are approved, interactions get layered in as the final pass before handoff.

Test on real devices

Framer's preview is good but it is not the same as testing on a real phone or tablet. Before every delivery I test the project across at least three devices and two browsers. Issues that are invisible in preview become obvious on a real screen.

Handoff is part of the job

A good Framer build is only as good as the documentation that comes with it. Every project I deliver includes a short walkthrough of the CMS, the component system, and any custom interactions. Clients who understand their own site are clients who come back.