Introduction

Turning a beautiful design into a working WordPress theme is part art, part science. Whether you’re using Photoshop, Sketch, or Figma, having a structured workflow ensures you end up with a pixel-perfect, maintainable site.

Here’s a step-by-step guide to take your designs from concept to WordPress reality.

1. Prepare and Export Assets

From your design tool:

• Export images in optimized formats (WebP, SVG)
• Define typography styles
• Collect color palettes and spacing guidelines

2. Set Up Your Development Environment

Use a local development environment:

• Local by Flywheel
• MAMP/WAMP
• Docker containers for advanced setups

Initialize Git for version control.

3. Create the Theme File Structure

Inside wp-content/themes/yourtheme/:

• style.css with theme header
• functions.php for scripts and theme setup
• Template files (header.php, footer.php, index.php, etc.)

4. Convert HTML to WordPress Templates

Slice your design into HTML/CSS, then integrate PHP:

• Use get_header() and get_footer()
• Replace static content with WordPress template tags (the_title(), the_content())

5. Add Gutenberg Support

Modern themes should support Gutenberg blocks.

• add_theme_support( 'editor-styles' );
• Create theme.json for color palettes and typography
• Use block templates where appropriate

6. Style with SCSS and Webpack

Use a build process for efficiency:

• Write modular SCSS
• Bundle and minify assets
• Autoprefix for cross-browser compatibility

7. Test Responsiveness and Performance

Check across devices:

• iOS and Android
• Chrome, Firefox, Safari

Test with:

• Lighthouse
• GTmetrix

Conclusion

A thoughtful PSD-to-WordPress workflow saves time, reduces errors, and delivers polished results. Embrace modern tools to make your projects more efficient.

Need help turning your designs into a custom theme? DesignsLabz can help you build it right.