Updated 5 September 2026 · A practical anti-generic UI guide for Cursor, Claude Code, Lovable and Bolt users.
Why vibe-coded interfaces look generic
AI is very good at assembling familiar components. It is weaker at making a coherent set of visual decisions without context. If the request is “build a modern SaaS landing page,” the safest answer is the average of thousands of SaaS pages.
The cure is not a longer pile of adjectives. It is a smaller set of hard decisions.
Seven fixes that remove the AI look
1. Lock the design direction before asking for code
Write three words that describe the intended feeling, choose one visual reference for principles, and add a banned list. “Calm, capable, editorial; strong type; no gradients; no equal card grid” gives the model boundaries it can use.
2. Give every colour a role
Use the 60-30-10 rule: roughly 60% base, 30% structure and 10% accent. Add muted and panel tokens for practical UI states. The important rule is that the accent has a job—it is not decoration poured over every section.
3. Replace the default font with a deliberate pairing
Choose a display face for personality and a readable body face for work. Define weights and line heights, not only family names. A strong type hierarchy can make a simple layout feel designed before any effect is added.
4. Stop centring every section
Use a split hero, evidence rail, editorial column or another asymmetric structure. Keep one dominant focal point and let supporting information stay quieter. Professional hierarchy is unequal on purpose.
5. Put the decisions in DESIGN.md
Prompts disappear into chat history. A project file stays beside the code. Record colours, typography, spacing, components, motion, accessibility and prohibited patterns, then make every UI task reference it.
6. Separate building from auditing
First ask the agent to build one section. In a second pass, ask it to audit hierarchy, spacing, alignment, contrast and mobile behaviour against DESIGN.md. Asking one generation to invent, build and judge everything usually produces shallow work.
7. Add polish only after the system is stable
Hover states, focus states, grain, glass, shadows and motion can add quality, but they cannot rescue weak hierarchy. Use one approved shadow, one motion language and a reduced-motion fallback.
Copy this anti-generic UI audit prompt
This starter prompt is intentionally useful but general. Replace @DESIGN.md with your project’s real visual rules for dependable output.
Audit and improve the visual layer of this page. Preserve all routes, data, handlers and business logic. Before editing: 1. Identify the current colour, type, spacing and component inconsistencies. 2. Read @DESIGN.md and treat it as the source of truth. 3. Keep one dominant colour, one structure colour and one accent. 4. Use the approved font pairing and spacing scale only. 5. Create clear hierarchy; do not give every section equal weight. Forbidden defaults: - no purple or blue gradient unless DESIGN.md requires it - no centred hero with two generic buttons - no three identical icon cards used as filler - no unapproved fonts, radii, shadows or colours - no emojis as interface icons Work on this page only. Show the mobile reflow at 375px. After editing, list every DESIGN.md rule you applied.
Ten-point visual quality checklist
- The primary action is visually obvious within three seconds.
- Every colour maps to an approved token and role.
- The display and body typography create clear contrast.
- Related elements are closer than unrelated elements.
- The page has one focal area, not equal emphasis everywhere.
- Buttons include hover, focus, active and disabled states.
- Cards use one border, radius and shadow policy.
- Body text and CTA labels meet WCAG AA contrast.
- The layout works at 375px without tiny text or horizontal scrolling.
- The final screen does not depend on a generic gradient, emoji icons or filler cards.
A safer workflow for an existing application
System
Choose the palette, type, layout and do-not rules. Save them to DESIGN.md.
Surface
Improve one page or component while preserving routes and logic.
Audit
Compare the result to the file, test mobile and fix every drift.
Do not redesign everything in one prompt
Start with the landing-page hero or the product dashboard shell. A narrow before-and-after creates proof quickly and gives the rest of the project a reference to follow.
Frequently asked questions
Why do AI-generated websites all look the same?
Coding models fall back to common patterns when the prompt leaves visual decisions open: safe sans-serif fonts, blue or purple gradients, centred heroes, equal cards and generic spacing.
How do I make a vibe-coded website look professional?
Define a small design system before editing: role-based colours, a deliberate font pairing, one spacing rhythm, an approved layout, component states and a list of patterns the agent must not use.
Should I ask the AI to redesign the whole application at once?
No. Preserve the logic and work one surface at a time. Lock the system first, then improve the hero, navigation, content sections, forms and responsive states in separate passes.
Do I need Figma to improve an AI-generated UI?
No. A clear visual brief and live browser preview can be enough. Figma is useful for deeper exploration, but the important part is giving the coding agent explicit decisions rather than vague adjectives.
Can Pixel Perfect fix an existing website?
Pixel Perfect supplies the system and prompts for the visual layer. Apply them to the existing project one section at a time while instructing the agent to preserve routes, data and application logic.