Design POV

In an age of vibe coding and quick prototyping it becomes ever more important to have a design or branding point of view.

To have deeply embedded, well-thought out branding sets your product and experience apart from other products, apps and experiences. We are at the start of the rapid transformation of online creation - this will only just get faster and more efficient.

I have already talked in previous posts about thinking about why something is being made and whether its really needed in the market, but its also worth thinking about how the design and brand experience makes people feel this product and the experience of engaging with it is different.

The best softwares have little design flourishes, verbiage and nudges that seem authentic and consistent with the overall brand. Similarly the best communities have frameworks, naming conventions and in-built culture to differentiate.

The point is not what you adopt but to pay attention to these creative details because they set your project or product apart from the mass of others on the market.

I have come across quite a few hastily put together vibe-coded products that look sloppy in their design, with little thought to story and experience, and this just makes it look like a commodity.

Vibe coding is amazing - but it doesn't replace the need for genuine usefulness and also a great consistent brand vision, and a design consistency that speaks to its ideal user.

Some founders who are the 'get out there and let me sell' types ignore this completely, but they don't appreciate just how important brand and design is to the sales process and to customer retention.

Think about Apple - the product works great, but people stay for the brand - all the little quirks of interacting with an Apple product and the things that connect you with the brand. These were not slap-dash - they were carefully invested in. And it is that brand that's worth billions - not just the inventory, product, talent or even technology.