A good wireframe is a map for development. Every button, popup, and dropdown represents something you’ll eventually build. Once you learn how to bridge Sketch and GitHub, that gap between design and code disappears. This workflow completely changed how I build projects and I want to share it with all of you.
This post walks through my process of how I turn a Sketch wireframe into a fully coded website, step by step.
Creating a Wireframe in Sketch
Wireframes are where everything starts. They show how something should look and how it should behave. In sketch I have pages including artboards for each major screen. This includes Homepage, Account, and About Us.
When I create a wireframe, I focus on structure before adding colors and pictures. I use rectangles and text boxes to block out sections like navigation bars, hero banners, and filters. The idea is to figure out layout, spacing, and hierarchy before adding any design details.
The most helpful thing I learned is that wireframes shouldn’t just show static screens. They should represent interaction. If a screen includes a popup, I’ll duplicate the artboard and dim the background with a semi-transparent overlay. Next, I would design the popup and place it in the center. If there’s a dropdown, I’ll create two versions: one collapsed and one expanded. For filters or buttons, I make “selected” and “unselected” states using lighter or darker fills.
This might sound extra, but it will allow you to visualize how users will actually experience it. Most importantly, it helps a lot when you start coding because you already know how each element is supposed to behave.
Exporting and Preparing Assets
Once the wireframes look right, I export the icons I’ll need as SVGs so they stay detailed and scalable. The real time-saver, though, is using Sketch on the web.
When I log into Sketch’s web app, I can open any project, click on a specific artboard. Hitting Inspect on the right panel, shows the exact CSS values for everything. It includes colors, font sizes, margins, padding. It’s the same information developers use during handoff. The Sketch web app also gives you the option to export icons and graphics directly when you tap on them.
This alll only works smoothly if your file is organized. Ensure layers are named properly, text styles are applied consistently, and spacing rules are followed. When everything is labeled, you can easily copy code snippets from the web view and paste them straight into your CSS. It’s one of those features that turns a design file into something truly developer-friendly.
Setting Up the GitHub Repository
Once I have my assets ready, it’s time to bring them into code. I start by creating a new GitHub repository, which is basically a folder that stores my entire project online and tracks every version of it.
Inside, I organize my files. Hes an example:
/images
/css
/js
/pages
index.html
Keeping your folder structure simple and logical makes a huge difference later. It mirrors your design’s layout, so it’s easier to find where things belong.
Translating Design to Code
This is is probably the most satisfying yet most frusterating part of it all: turning a wireframe into a live website.
Each Sketch artboard becomes an HTML page or section. For example:
The Search Dropdown (Open) artboard turns into a <div> with a visible dropdown list.
The Popup artboard becomes an overlay with an opacity layer and a centered modal box.
“Selected” buttons in Sketch become CSS classes like .filter-active.
I use the CSS values from Sketch Inspect to keep everything consistent. If my Sketch text style says font-size: 32px or color: #1E3A8A, I copy it directly into my stylesheet.
For spacing, I follow the same “4-pixel system” I used in my style guide. Margins, padding, and line heights all align perfectly because they come from the same rules I designed with. That’s what makes the final website feel balanced — it’s built off the same foundation.
Technically Curious 
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