• The dev says the component library doesn’t support your fancy design.

• The product needs to ship faster, so “close enough” will have to do.

• The CEO casually suggests making the logo a bit bigger.

Welcome to the eternal struggle of pixel-perfect vs. reality.

When to Fight for Perfection

Some details do matter. Accessibility, readability, and user experience should never be sacrificed for speed. If a design choice genuinely impacts usability, push for it. Advocate for the user, provide reasoning, and back it up with data.

When to Let It Go

Not every pixel has to be exactly as you envisioned. Will the user notice if the button is 4px off from your ideal placement? Probably not. Will they care if a hover effect is 0.2s slower than intended? Unlikely. Choose your battles. I struggled with this for a long time. It was only after speaking to users for hours did I realise the thing I was so focused on wasn't what they were focused on.

The Compromise: Design for Flexibility

Instead of clinging to rigid perfection, build adaptable designs. Work with developers early, understand constraints, and create solutions that balance aesthetics with feasibility.

At the end of the day, great design isn’t about perfection, it’s about impact. And if that means letting go of a 1px alignment issue to ship something meaningful? Let it go, and move on. You did the right thing.