Tailwind CSS And Why You Should Use It!

Mark Gowen
4 min readDec 12, 2022

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Tailwind CSS is a popular CSS framework that is designed to make it easier to build websites and user interfaces. It provides a set of pre-defined styles and classes that can be easily added to your HTML elements, which can save time and make it easier to create consistent, attractive designs. Tailwind CSS uses a utility-first approach, which means that instead of defining custom styles for each element, you add classes to your HTML elements that apply specific styles. This can make it easier to create responsive, flexible designs that are easy to modify and maintain.

Design Systems

Using a design system can be important for a number of reasons. One of the main benefits of using a design system is that it can help to ensure consistency in the design of a product or service. By defining a set of rules, guidelines, and components that should be used in the design, a design system can help to ensure that all parts of the product or service have a consistent look and feel. This can make it easier for users to understand and navigate the product, and can also help to establish a clear brand identity.

Additionally, using a design system can help to improve the efficiency of the design process. By defining a set of reusable components and rules, a design system can make it easier for designers to create new user interfaces quickly and consistently. This can save time and reduce the need for redesigns and revisions, which can save money and resources in the long run.

Finally, using a design system can also help to ensure that the product or service is accessible and inclusive. By defining clear rules and guidelines for design, a design system can help to ensure that the product or service is usable by people with disabilities and can be accessed by a wide range of users. This can help to improve the overall user experience and make the product or service more successful.

Utilizing Tailwind CSS and a Design System

Tailwind CSS can be beneficial when using a design system in a few different ways. First, Tailwind CSS is a utility-first CSS framework, which means that instead of defining custom styles for each element, you add classes to your HTML elements that apply specific styles. This can make it easier to create flexible, modular designs that can be easily modified and updated as needed.

Additionally, Tailwind CSS provides a set of pre-defined utility classes that can be used to quickly apply a wide range of styles to your HTML elements. This can save time and make it easier to create consistent designs that adhere to the rules and guidelines defined in your design system.

Tailwind CSS also provides a responsive grid system that can be used to create flexible, responsive layouts that work well on a wide range of screen sizes. This can be especially useful when designing for a design system, as it can help to ensure that your designs are flexible and adaptable to different devices and screen sizes.

CSS vs Tailwind CSS

In this code, the NavBar is created using a nav element, and the logo and links are added inside it. The display: flex and justify-content: space-between CSS styles are used to position the elements within the NavBar, and the background-color: #333 and color: #fff styles are used to give the NavBar a dark gray background color and white text.

import React from 'react';

const Navbar = () => {
return (
<nav className="navbar">
<a href="#" className="logo">
Logo
</a>
<a href="#" className="link">
Page 1
</a>
<a href="#" className="link">
Page 2
</a>
</nav>
);
};

export default Navbar;
.navbar {
display: flex;
justify-content: space-between;
background-color: #333;
}

.navbar .logo {
color: #fff;
font-size: 16px;
}

.navbar .link {
color: #fff;
font-size: 16px;
text-decoration: none;
}

In this code, the NavBar is created using a nav element, and the logo and links are added inside it. The flex utility classes from Tailwind CSS are used to position the elements within the NavBar, and the bg-gray-800 and text-white classes are used to give the NavBar a dark gray background color and white text.

import React from 'react';

const Navbar = () => {
return (
<nav className="flex justify-between bg-gray-800 p-4">
<div className="flex items-center">
<a href="#" className="font-bold text-white">
Logo
</a>
</div>
<div className="flex items-center">
<a href="#" className="font-bold text-white mr-4">
Page 1
</a>
<a href="#" className="font-bold text-white">
Page 2
</a>
</div>
</nav>
);
};

export default Navbar;

Using Tailwind CSS can be more beneficial than using regular CSS for a few reasons:

  1. Tailwind is a utility-first CSS framework, which means that it provides a set of utility classes that can be used to style elements quickly and consistently. This can save time and make it easier to maintain your styles across a large project.
  2. Tailwind uses a low-level, atomic approach to styling, which means that it provides a wide range of utility classes that can be combined to create complex, customizable designs. This can give you more control over the styles in your project and make it easier to create responsive and flexible layouts.
  3. Tailwind is designed to be highly customizable, with a configuration file that lets you adjust the default styles and add your own custom utilities. This can help you create a design system that fits the specific needs of your project and make it easier to keep your styles consistent and maintainable.

Overall, using Tailwind CSS can provide a number of benefits over using regular CSS, including increased productivity, improved design flexibility, and easier customization and maintenance.

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Mark Gowen

Digital Crafter | Full Stack Software Engineer Student at Flatiron School