Redesign Skill
How This Works
When applied to an existing project, follow this sequence:
Scan
— Read the codebase. Identify the framework, styling method (Tailwind, vanilla CSS, styled-components, etc.), and current design patterns.
Diagnose
— Run through the audit below. List every generic pattern, weak point, and missing state you find.
Fix
— Apply targeted upgrades working with the existing stack. Do not rewrite from scratch. Improve what's there.
Design Audit
Typography
Check for these problems and fix them:
Browser default fonts or Inter everywhere.
Replace with a font that has character. Good options:
Geist
,
Outfit
,
Cabinet Grotesk
,
Satoshi
. For editorial/creative projects, pair a serif header with a sans-serif body.
Headlines lack presence.
Increase size for display text, tighten letter-spacing, reduce line-height. Headlines should feel heavy and intentional.
Body text too wide.
Limit paragraph width to roughly 65 characters. Increase line-height for readability.
Only Regular (400) and Bold (700) weights used.
Introduce Medium (500) and SemiBold (600) for more subtle hierarchy.
Numbers in proportional font.
Use a monospace font or enable tabular figures (
font-variant-numeric: tabular-nums
) for data-heavy interfaces.
Missing letter-spacing adjustments.
Use negative tracking for large headers, positive tracking for small caps or labels.
All-caps subheaders everywhere.
Try lowercase italics, sentence case, or small-caps instead.
Orphaned words.
Single words sitting alone on the last line. Fix with
text-wrap: balance
or
text-wrap: pretty
.
Color and Surfaces
Pure
000000
background.
Replace with off-black, dark charcoal, or tinted dark (
0a0a0a
,
121212
, or a dark navy).
Oversaturated accent colors.
Keep saturation below 80%. Desaturate accents so they blend with neutrals instead of screaming.
More than one accent color.
Pick one. Remove the rest. Consistency beats variety.
Mixing warm and cool grays.
Stick to one gray family. Tint all grays with a consistent hue (warm or cool, not both).
Purple/blue "AI gradient" aesthetic.
This is the most common AI design fingerprint. Replace with neutral bases and a single, considered accent.
Generic
box-shadow
.
Tint shadows to match the background hue. Use colored shadows (e.g., dark blue shadow on a blue background) instead of pure black at low opacity.
Flat design with zero texture.
Add subtle noise, grain, or micro-patterns to backgrounds. Pure flat vectors feel sterile.
Perfectly even gradients.
Break the uniformity with radial gradients, noise overlays, or mesh gradients instead of standard linear 45-degree fades.
Inconsistent lighting direction.
Audit all shadows to ensure they suggest a single, consistent light source.
Random dark sections in a light mode page (or vice versa).
A single dark-background section breaking an otherwise light page looks like a copy-paste accident. Either commit to a full dark mode or keep a consistent background tone throughout. If contrast is needed, use a slightly darker shade of the same palette — not a sudden jump to
111
in the middle of a cream page.
Empty, flat sections with no visual depth.
Sections that are just text on a plain background feel unfinished. Add high-quality background imagery (blurred, overlaid, or masked), subtle patterns, or ambient gradients. Use reliable placeholder sources like
https://picsum.photos/seed/{name}/1920/1080
when real assets are not available. Experiment with background images behind hero sections, feature blocks, or CTAs — even a subtle full-width photo at low opacity adds presence.
Layout
Everything centered and symmetrical.
Break symmetry with offset margins, mixed aspect ratios, or left-aligned headers over centered content.
Three equal card columns as feature row.
This is the most generic AI layout. Replace with a 2-column zig-zag, asymmetric grid, horizontal scroll, or masonry layout.
Using
height: 100vh
for full-screen sections.
Replace with
min-height: 100dvh
to prevent layout jumping on mobile browsers (iOS Safari viewport bug).
Complex flexbox percentage math.
Replace with CSS Grid for reliable multi-column structures.
No max-width container.
Add a container constraint (around 1200-1440px) with auto margins so content doesn't stretch edge-to-edge on wide screens.
Cards of equal height forced by flexbox.
Allow variable heights or use masonry when content varies in length.
Uniform border-radius on everything.
Vary the radius: tighter on inner elements, softer on containers.
No overlap or depth.
Elements sit flat next to each other. Use negative margins to create layering and visual depth.
Symmetrical vertical padding.
Top and bottom padding are always identical. Adjust optically — bottom padding often needs to be slightly larger.
Dashboard always has a left sidebar.
Try top navigation, a floating command menu, or a collapsible panel instead.
Missing whitespace.
Double the spacing. Let the design breathe. Dense layouts work for data dashboards, not for marketing pages.
Buttons not bottom-aligned in card groups.
When cards have different content lengths, CTAs end up at random heights. Pin buttons to the bottom of each card so they form a clean horizontal line regardless of content above.
Feature lists starting at different vertical positions.
In pricing tables or comparison cards, the list of features should start at the same Y position across all columns. Use consistent spacing above the list or fixed-height title/price blocks.
Inconsistent vertical rhythm in side-by-side elements.
When placing cards, columns, or panels next to each other, align shared elements (titles, descriptions, prices, buttons) across all items. Misaligned baselines make the layout look broken.
Mathematical alignment that looks optically wrong.
Centering by the math doesn't always look centered to the eye. Icons next to text, play buttons in circles, or text in buttons often need 1-2px optical adjustments to feel right.
Interactivity and States
No hover states on buttons.
Add background shift, slight scale, or translate on hover.
No active/pressed feedback.
Add a subtle
scale(0.98)
or
translateY(1px)
on press to simulate a physical click.
Instant transitions with zero duration.
Add smooth transitions (200-300ms) to all interactive elements.
Missing focus ring.
Ensure visible focus indicators for keyboard navigation. This is an accessibility requirement, not optional.
No loading states.
Replace generic circular spinners with skeleton loaders that match the layout shape.
No empty states.
An empty dashboard showing nothing is a missed opportunity. Design a composed "getting started" view.
No error states.
Add clear, inline error messages for forms. Do not use
window.alert()
.
Dead links.
Buttons that link to
. Either link to real destinations or visually disable them.
No indication of current page in navigation.
Style the active nav link differently so users know where they are.
Scroll jumping.
Anchor clicks jump instantly. Add
scroll-behavior: smooth
.
Animations using
top
,
left
,
width
,
height
.
Switch to
transform
and
opacity
for GPU-accelerated, smooth animation.
Content
Generic names like "John Doe" or "Jane Smith".
Use diverse, realistic-sounding names.
Fake round numbers like
99.99%
,
50%
,
$100.00
.
Use organic, messy data:
47.2%
,
$99.00
,
+1 (312) 847-1928
.
Placeholder company names like "Acme Corp", "Nexus", "SmartFlow".
Invent contextual, believable brand names.
AI copywriting cliches.
Never use "Elevate", "Seamless", "Unleash", "Next-Gen", "Game-changer", "Delve", "Tapestry", or "In the world of...". Write plain, specific language.
Exclamation marks in success messages.
Remove them. Be confident, not loud.
"Oops!" error messages.
Be direct: "Connection failed. Please try again."
Passive voice.
Use active voice: "We couldn't save your changes" instead of "Mistakes were made."
All blog post dates identical.
Randomize dates to appear real.
Same avatar image for multiple users.
Use unique assets for every distinct person.
Lorem Ipsum.
Never use placeholder latin text. Write real draft copy.
Title Case On Every Header.
Use sentence case instead.
Component Patterns
Generic card look (border + shadow + white background).
Remove the border, or use only background color, or use only spacing. Cards should exist only when elevation communicates hierarchy.
Always one filled button + one ghost button.
Add text links or tertiary styles to reduce visual noise.
Pill-shaped "New" and "Beta" badges.
Try square badges, flags, or plain text labels.
Accordion FAQ sections.
Use a side-by-side list, searchable help, or inline progressive disclosure.
3-card carousel testimonials with dots.
Replace with a masonry wall, embedded social posts, or a single rotating quote.
Pricing table with 3 towers.
Highlight the recommended tier with color and emphasis, not just extra height.
Modals for everything.
Use inline editing, slide-over panels, or expandable sections instead of popups for simple actions.
Avatar circles exclusively.
Try squircles or rounded squares for a less generic look.
Light/dark toggle always a sun/moon switch.
Use a dropdown, system preference detection, or integrate it into settings.
Footer link farm with 4 columns.
Simplify. Focus on main navigational paths and legally required links.
Iconography
Lucide or Feather icons exclusively.
These are the "default" AI icon choice. Use Phosphor, Heroicons, or a custom set for differentiation.
Rocketship for "Launch", shield for "Security".
Replace cliche metaphors with less obvious icons (bolt, fingerprint, spark, vault).
Inconsistent stroke widths across icons.
Audit all icons and standardize to one stroke weight.
Missing favicon.
Always include a branded favicon.
Stock "diverse team" photos.
Use real team photos, candid shots, or a consistent illustration style instead of uncanny stock imagery.
Code Quality
Div soup.
Use semantic HTML: