Today is the best time to start learning how to use modern CSS features to build truly responsive components. Responsive design doesn’t mean designing for the viewport anymore. There are many factors that can affect a component’s layout. For example, even though container queries and CSS :has() are well supported, there is still a gap in using them to their full potential. CSS now is like a football team with solid players but no coach to bring out their best. In this talk, I’ll walk you through my process of building smarter layouts that are aware of their surroundings and context, in the hope of inspiring you to take the next step and use modern CSS in your workflow. Slides: https://www.figma.com/deck/NewdIWNVLbsX8ipYOFZ4p8/Smart-Layouts---CSS-Day-2025 *** A session from CSS Day, the CSS conference. Each June in Amsterdam; see https://cssday.nl for more information. Conference announcements in your inbox? https://cssday.nl/subscribe