Reference-driven design
Build-along · ~10 min at your own keyboard
'Make it modern and clean' produces generic. Three specific references with what you like about each ('this one's spacing, that one's type, this one's color restraint') produces something that looks decided. References are the design vocabulary you don't have words for. Borrow principles, not identity: take a spacing habit or a type pairing, never another company's logo, distinctive illustrations, exact wording, or a look so close a customer could confuse the two.
The long version: Design from references ↗
Do this
0/4Checkpoints
- ▸You should now see three references in one folder or list.
- ▸You should now see one line beside each naming the single thing to steal.
- ▸You should now see a build that shows those three things.
The three ways this goes wrong
- The result mixes all three into a muddle. — Give each reference one job only: spacing from one, type from another, color from the third.
- You write 'modern and clean' in the brief. — Replace each adjective with a named reference and what you take from it.
- The result looks like a copy of one reference. — Change the colors, type, and wording to your own brand. Keep only the principle you named.
Share what happened
Paste your three-reference steal-list and which steals landed in the result.
Strip API keys, passwords, and tokens before you paste. Swap them for [KEY].
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