Hey everyone!
I’m really having trouble with making websites that look good. The functionality part is fine, but when it comes to visual design, I just can’t seem to get it right.
I’m curious about your workflow when building user interfaces. Do you have any methods or resources that help you create better looking sites?
I know exactly what features I want to build, but whenever I try to make things look professional and add some nice effects or animations, the result is always disappointing. It’s like I have all these concepts in my head but can’t execute them properly.
Also noticed that AI tools often suggest adding random floating elements or particles everywhere, which doesn’t really help much.
Basically I’m stuck at the visual design phase even though I have clear ideas about functionality. Any advice would be great!
what sites are you checking out for inspiration? sometimes we get stuck comparing our beginner work to stuff built by whole design teams. are you going for a specific style or just throwing everything at the wall? and when you say “disappointing results” - what exactly feels wrong to you?
copy designs you like - there’s zero shame in that. pull inspiration from dribbble or awwwards and recreate pieces of what catches your eye. you’ll learn tons more by reverse engineering solid work than fumbling around from scratch. and quit overthinking animations. most pro sites stick to subtle stuff, not flashy nonsense.
I had this exact problem for years - turns out I was doing design completely backwards. Don’t start with visuals. Pick one solid font family first, nail down your spacing rules, and limit yourself to 3-4 colors max. Once you’ve got those basics locked down, everything else falls into place. For animations, I stopped trying to reinvent the wheel. Find sites you love and figure out how they did it. Start with simple hover effects before you get fancy. Biggest game-changer for me? Good design isn’t about being creative - it’s about being consistent and knowing when to stop.