Cursor for Designers: Build and Ship Your Own Ideas

Cursor is an AI-powered code editor that’s changing how designers build for the web. Built on VS Code but supercharged with AI, Cursor lets you write code through conversation, edit entire files with a single prompt, and understand complex codebases without getting lost. For designers, this means you can finally implement your own designs, build functional prototypes, and iterate on ideas without waiting for developer handoff. Used by designers at Airbnb, Stripe, and thousands of startups, Cursor bridges the gap between design and development.

Key Specs

How Designers Use Cursor

Building Landing Pages and Portfolio Sites

The most common use case: designers using Cursor to build their own websites. Export your Figma designs, describe the layout to Cursor, and watch it generate the HTML and CSS. Ask it to make the site responsive, add animations, or adjust spacing. One designer built her entire portfolio site in an afternoon by chatting with Cursor, no coding background required.

Rapid Prototyping Interactive Features

Need to show how a dropdown works? Want to test a drag-and-drop interface? Cursor helps you build interactive prototypes that feel real. Describe the interaction in plain English—”make these cards sortable by dragging”—and Cursor writes the JavaScript. This is faster than most prototyping tools and produces code you can actually ship.

Modifying Existing Code

Got a website template but need to customize it? Cursor can help. Select the section you want to change, describe what you want (“make this button bigger and blue”), and Cursor updates the code. It understands the context of your entire project, so changes are consistent across all your files.

Learning Web Technologies

Many designers use Cursor as their coding teacher. Ask “Why isn’t this centered?” or “How do I make this responsive?” and get instant, contextual explanations. Cursor can also suggest improvements to your code and explain why they’re better. It’s like having a patient coding mentor available 24/7.

Cursor vs. Alternatives

Getting Started with Cursor

Step 1: Download and Import Your Settings Download Cursor from cursor.com and install it. On first launch, Cursor will detect your VS Code installation and offer to import your extensions, settings, and themes with one click. If you’re new to VS Code, just skip this and use the defaults.

Step 2: Open a Project and Try the Chat Open any folder with code, or create a new one. Press Cmd+L (or Ctrl+L on Windows) to open the AI chat. Try asking “Create an index.html file with a centered heading and a blue button.” Cursor will generate the code and explain what it did.

Step 3: Learn the Power Features Press Cmd+K to edit code inline—select a section and describe changes. Use @-mentions in chat to reference specific files (@index.html) or docs (@tailwind). Enable Composer mode (Cmd+Shift+L) to edit multiple files at once. These features turn Cursor from a coding assistant into a coding partner.

Cursor in Your Design Workflow

Before: Export design specs and assets from Figma. Create a clear specification document describing layouts, interactions, and responsive behavior. Set up a new project folder with your exported images and SVGs ready to reference.

During: Use Cursor to build the structure, then refine. Start with the layout (“create a three-column grid with these images”), then add interactivity (“make the cards expand on hover”), then polish (“adjust the spacing to match my design”). Ask Cursor to explain any generated code you don’t understand.

After: Use Cursor to debug and iterate. When something doesn’t look right, select it and ask “Why is this layout breaking on mobile?” Cursor will identify the issue and suggest fixes. Deploy your site using Cursor’s terminal or ask it to help you set up hosting.

Tool Pairings: Figma for design, Cursor for development, Netlify or Vercel for hosting. Export design tokens from Figma and ask Cursor to create a matching CSS file. Use Cursor’s terminal to run Git commands and push to GitHub.

Common Problems (and How to Fix Them)

Cursor Generated Code That Doesn’t Match Your Design

This usually happens when descriptions are too vague. Instead of “make it look modern,” be specific: “24px font size, 600 weight, #2B2D42 color, 16px margin on top.” Include exact measurements from your design tool. You can also paste CSS exported from Figma and ask Cursor to apply those styles.

The AI Doesn’t Understand Your Codebase

Make sure you’re using @ mentions to give Cursor context. Type @codebase to reference your entire project, or @filename.html for specific files. If Cursor still seems confused, try enabling “Codebase Indexing” in settings—this indexes your entire project for better AI understanding.

Code Works Locally But Breaks When Deployed

Ask Cursor to check for deployment issues: “Why might this work locally but fail in production?” Common issues include hardcoded localhost URLs, missing environment variables, or incorrect file paths. Cursor can scan for these patterns and suggest fixes.

Running Out of Free AI Requests

The free tier includes about 50 AI requests per day. If you hit the limit, wait until tomorrow or upgrade to Pro ($20/month) for unlimited basic requests. You can also reduce usage by being more specific in requests (so Cursor gets it right the first time) and using Cmd+K for small edits instead of full chat conversations.

Cursor Suggests Old or Incorrect Code Patterns

AI models sometimes suggest outdated approaches. When you get a suggestion, ask “Is this the modern way to do this?” or “What are the alternatives?” Cursor will often provide newer methods. You can also specify in your prompt: “Use modern CSS Grid, not floats” or “Use ES6 syntax.”