# Skill: Eliminate generic AI design fingerprints using four taste principles

> Master this to diagnose and fix template-looking AI output by replacing vague "make it pretty" prompts with concrete constraints; apply whenever AI-generated UI looks like the same landing page everyone else got.

Source: sodigi*learn -- inspiration/pochemu-ii-dizayn-shablonnyy * https://sodigi.io/learn/inspiration/pochemu-ii-dizayn-shablonnyy

## When to use

- Reviewing AI-generated UI output that feels generic, cheap, or interchangeable.
- Writing a prompt for an AI design/code assistant and wanting a specific style instead of a statistical average.
- Iterating on a vibecoded screen that looks like a purple-gradient startup template.
- Auditing any design for the five canonical "AI fingerprint" tells.

## Core rules

- AI generates the most probable output, not the most beautiful one. Generic look is its default, not a bug.
- Cure the generic look with constraints, not with "make it prettier."
- One accent only: one bright color on the screen highlights the main action. Everything else is muted.
- Replace the default gradient with one accent color plus neutrals (dark or light background, one or two grays).
- Whitespace is active: empty space around elements groups them and signals importance. Stop centering everything.
- Details add up: consistent spacing (multiples of 8), no more than two fonts, line icons instead of emoji, proper punctuation.
- Fix one tell at a time so you know what worked. Start with the accent and the gradient.

## Procedure

1. Run the "AI fingerprint" checklist on the generated screen:
   - Is there a purple-blue gradient?
   - Is all text centered (headline AND paragraphs AND lists)?
   - Are there emoji serving as icons?
   - Are there exactly three cards in a row with no particular reason?
   - Is the font generic with no character?
2. For each matched tell, write a targeted correction instruction.
3. Replace the gradient with a named flat accent color plus neutrals.
4. Identify the single main action on the screen. Make only that element bright; mute all secondary buttons (no fill or ghost style).
5. Left-align paragraphs and lists. Reserve center-alignment for short standalone headlines.
6. Swap emoji for a consistent line-icon set.
7. Enforce spacing multiples of 8: 8, 16, 24, 32px -- no arbitrary values.
8. Rerun the checklist. Two or three iterations and the fingerprint dissolves.

## Ready-to-use prompt

```
Make a landing page for [describe product] in a specific, non-template style.

Rules:
- Palette: dark background, one [name your accent color, e.g. teal #14B8A6] accent, everything else neutral gray. No gradients.
- One main call-to-action only. That element gets the accent color. All secondary buttons: no fill, ghost style.
- Text alignment: left-align all paragraphs and lists. Center only the main headline.
- Whitespace: generous gaps between sections. Do not jam blocks together.
- Icons: one set of line icons in a consistent stroke width. No emoji.
- Fonts: one font family, regular and bold weights only.
- Spacing: all gaps must be multiples of 8px (8, 16, 24, 32, 40). No arbitrary values.

Do not use a purple-blue gradient. Do not use emoji. Do not produce a three-card default features block unless the content actually requires exactly three items.
```

## Pitfalls

- Asking to "make it pretty" or "make it modern" -- these are empty instructions that return the template. Name constraints instead.
- Leaving the default purple-blue gradient: it is the single most recognizable AI tell. Replace it immediately.
- Centering everything: centered paragraphs and lists lose their reading spine and look like a 2005 slide deck.
- Using emoji as icons: mixed styles and colors cheapen every block they touch.
- Fear of whitespace: a crammed screen reads as cheap. Empty space is a signal of quality.
- Throwing in multiple bright colors: when everything shouts, nothing does. One accent, mute the rest.
- Changing all tells at once without tracking what changed: fix one tell per iteration to know what worked.