Dorstenlesser — Dorst & Lesser

# Build brief — an original marketing website in the taste of Dorstenlesser

> Reference: https://dorstenlesser.com · UIDiscovery: https://uidiscovery.com/sites/dorstenlesser · captured 2026-09-22 at a 1440px desktop viewport (+ 390px iPhone shots) · [full page](https://uidiscovery.com/media/captures/dorstenlesser/full.webp) · [scroll video](https://uidiscovery.com/media/captures/dorstenlesser/preview.mp4)

## 1. Goal
Build an original marketing website for **[the user's brand]** that feels as considered as Dorstenlesser — same structure, rhythm and polish, entirely new identity and content.

## 2. Originality rules
- Build an ORIGINAL design for the user's own brand in the same *taste* as Dorstenlesser: structure, rhythm, hierarchy, palette mood and type pairing.
- Never reuse Dorstenlesser's logo, name, product imagery, illustrations, icons, screenshots or copy. Write new copy for the user's product.
- If the user hasn't said what their product is, ask first (or use clearly marked placeholders like [Brand], [Product], [Audience]).
- Reference screenshots are for looking at, not for embedding or tracing.

## 3. The taste, in short
- Dorstenlesser (dorstenlesser.com): Marketing marketing website, light, colorful, award winner.
- 1 section: Statement.
- Spacing: about a screen per idea (median section ≈900px).
- Type: one family (Plain). Imagery: mostly product UI screenshots/mockups.

## 4. Page structure (top to bottom)

### 1. Statement — a large-type moment that sets tone and pace.
- Layout: oversized typography with lots of space. About one full screen (900px at 1440), own dark band #3355ff; 37 image elements (icons, logos, product UI — not 37 photos); 22 buttons (tabs, toggles or per-card actions), 34 links (link lists / navigation).
- Slots: Heading (~6 words, like the reference); Body copy; Supporting visual (see image plan); Primary + secondary action.
- Topic (tone/length only — never reuse): “social media agency for leading brands.”
- [Screenshot](https://uidiscovery.com/media/captures/dorstenlesser/s-01.webp) · imagery: slot 1

Inner pages also captured (Product, About, Careers, Contact, Shop): https://uidiscovery.com/sites/dorstenlesser?view=pages

## 5. Design system
### Colour
| Role | Hex | Use | Contrast on background |
|---|---|---|---|
| background | `#f5f3ed` | page background | — |
| foreground | `#1b211d` | body text, headings | 14.8:1 |
| accent | `#f7c518` | primary buttons, links, highlights — sparingly | 1.5:1 ⚠ not for text; use as a fill with #111111 text (11.6:1) |
| surface | `#f5f3ed` | cards, inputs, alternate bands | text on it 14.8:1 |
| muted | `#3355ff` | secondary text, borders | 4.9:1 |

Captured palette: `#f5f3ed` `#1b211d` `#3355ff` `#f7c518`. Roles are assigned automatically — sanity-check them against the screenshot. Keep the palette's *mood* (light, warm) and proportions; swap the accent for the user's brand colour.

### Tokens
```css
:root {
  --background: #f5f3ed;
  --foreground: #1b211d;
  --accent: #f7c518;
  --surface: #f5f3ed;
  --muted: #3355ff;
  --font-heading: "Manrope", ui-sans-serif, system-ui, sans-serif;
  --font-body: "Manrope", ui-sans-serif, system-ui, sans-serif;
  --radius: 12px; /* calibrate from the screenshot */
}

/* Tailwind v4 — in globals.css after @import "tailwindcss"; */
@theme {
  --color-background: var(--background);
  --color-foreground: var(--foreground);
  --color-accent: var(--accent);
  --color-surface: var(--surface);
  --color-muted: var(--muted);
  --font-heading: var(--font-heading);
  --font-sans: var(--font-body);
}
```

### Typography
- Headings: **Manrope** (Google Fonts) — reference uses Plain. “Plain” is a licensed face — use Manrope (or Figtree) as the free stand-in, or license the original.
- Body: same family — a single-family system; create contrast with size and weight, not a second face.
- Scale (starting point, sizes weren't measured — calibrate against the 1440px screenshot): display clamp(2.5rem, 5vw, 4.25rem), h2 clamp(1.75rem, 3vw, 2.5rem), h3 1.25rem, body 1rem–1.125rem / 1.6, small 0.875rem. Headings: tight tracking (-0.02em), line-height 1.05–1.15.

### Spacing & rhythm
Sections run ≈900px tall at 1440 (median; range 900–900px, captures cap at 1700px) — roughly a screen per idea. Start with 96–120px vertical padding per section on desktop and about two-thirds of that on mobile. One continuous background — separate sections with space and type, not colour bands. 8px spacing grid, 1200–1280px max content width, 24px (mobile) / 32–48px (desktop) gutters.

### Shape, depth & theme
Confident colour blocks — let full-bleed colour bands and big shapes carry the personality; expressive layout and motion are part of the appeal — study the scroll video, but keep motion subtle and respect prefers-reduced-motion. Read exact corner radius, border and shadow treatment from the screenshots. Light-first; for a dark mode use a near-black (not #000) background, ~90% white text, lift surfaces with lightness not shadow, re-check the accent.

## 6. Imagery plan

Best guess: mostly **product UI screenshots/mockups** (light, warm, Marketing). Inferred from element counts, colours and industry — not from the pixels — so open the linked screenshots and match the real style before sourcing anything.

### Slot 1 · Statement → product UI (uncertain)
- Marketing statement with 37 image elements — most likely product UI screenshots/mockups plus icons. Count: 1–3 key visuals; the rest are icons/avatars. Aspect: 4:5. Look first: [ref 1](https://uidiscovery.com/media/captures/dorstenlesser/s-01.webp)
- **Stock** — “laptop blank screen minimal desk”: [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/s/photos/laptop-blank-screen-minimal-desk?orientation=landscape) · [Pexels](https://www.pexels.com/search/laptop%20blank%20screen%20minimal%20desk/?orientation=landscape) · [Pixabay](https://pixabay.com/images/search/laptop%20blank%20screen%20minimal%20desk/?orientation=horizontal)
- **Generate** — `Product-shot backdrop for a UI screenshot: smooth light gradient from #f5f3ed to #f5f3ed with a soft #f7c518 glow behind the centre, subtle floor shadow, empty centre area where a screenshot will be placed. Lighting: soft natural daylight, airy and high-key. Aspect ratio 4:5. No text, no letters, no logos, no watermarks, no brand marks or trademarked products, no recognisable real people. No UI elements.`
- Build the UI itself in HTML/CSS with realistic sample data from YOUR product (or screenshot your real app). Don't generate UI as an image and don't reuse the reference's screenshots. Stock/AI is only for the backdrop or device frame.


### If the screenshots show a different style
Open the refs first and name what you actually see (photo / product UI / illustration / abstract gradient or 3D / type only). If it differs from the guess, switch routes — UI is built in code, type-only needs no image, otherwise:
- **photography** — generate `Photograph: abstract gradient mesh. Composition: wide shot, subject off-centre to one side, generous clean negative space for the headline. Lighting: soft natural daylight, airy and high-key. Warm colour grade that sits on #3355ff, #f7c518, #f5f3ed. Photorealistic, natural textures, shallow depth of field, 35mm lens. Aspect ratio 16:9. No text, no letters, no logos, no watermarks, no brand marks or trademarked products, no recognisable real people.` · stock: [“abstract gradient mesh” on Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/s/photos/abstract-gradient-mesh?orientation=landscape) (same query works on Pexels/Pixabay)
- **abstract 3D / gradient** — generate `Abstract 3D render: soft, matte clay shapes and a smooth gradient in #f7c518 and #3355ff on a #f5f3ed background. Lighting: soft natural daylight, airy and high-key; warm tone. Minimal and calm, generous negative space on one side for text. Aspect ratio 16:9. No text, no letters, no logos, no watermarks, no brand marks or trademarked products, no recognisable real people.` · stock: [“abstract gradient 3d” on Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/s/photos/abstract-gradient-3d?orientation=landscape) (same query works on Pexels/Pixabay)
- **illustration** — generate `Flat vector illustration: abstract gradient mesh, friendly simplified shapes, limited palette of #3355ff, #f7c518, #f5f3ed plus one soft neutral, plenty of empty background, consistent line weight, warm mood. Aspect ratio 16:9. No text, no letters, no logos, no watermarks, no brand marks or trademarked products, no recognisable real people.` · stock: [“technology flat illustration” on Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/s/photos/technology-flat-illustration?orientation=landscape) (same query works on Pexels/Pixabay)

- **Licences:** Unsplash and Pexels images are free for commercial use under their own licences; Pixabay under the Pixabay Content License. Check each image's page before use, credit the photographer when asked (good practice anyway), and skip images showing logos, trademarks, branded products or identifiable people without a release.
- **AI generation:** the prompts work with any image model (GPT Image, Imagen, Flux, Midjourney, Firefly, SDXL…) — check its commercial-use terms. Never put the reference brand's name or “in the style of <brand>” in a prompt.
- **Never** download, trace or re-host the reference's own images, illustrations, product shots or logos.

## 7. Build steps
1. Confirm brand, product, audience and the primary action with the user.
2. Set up the tokens (CSS variables / Tailwind @theme) and load the fonts.
3. Build the sections in order, mobile-first, with each reference screenshot open.
4. Write original copy for every slot — match length and tone, never the words.
5. Source every image via the imagery plan (stock or generated); compress it and record credits.
6. Run the checklist at 390 / 768 / 1440px and fix what fails.

## 8. Acceptance checklist
- [ ] Responsive at 390px, 768px and 1440px — no horizontal scroll, tap targets ≥ 44px on mobile.
- [ ] Colour contrast WCAG AA: 4.5:1 body text, 3:1 large text and UI; visible focus states; full keyboard navigation.
- [ ] Semantic HTML: one <h1>, ordered headings, landmarks (header/nav/main/footer), labelled form fields, alt text on meaningful images.
- [ ] Performance: modern image formats with width/height set, lazy-load below the fold, ≤ 2 font families with font-display: swap, LCP < 2.5s.
- [ ] prefers-reduced-motion respected; animations under ~300ms and never blocking content.
- [ ] Originality: no copied logos, images, illustrations or copy from the reference; every image licensed or generated; credits recorded.

## 9. If you use Next.js + Tailwind
Paste the @theme block into globals.css, load fonts with next/font/google, make each section a server component in components/sections/, use next/image with explicit sizes, and keep client components for interactive bits only (menus, toggles, accordions).

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More: tokens https://uidiscovery.com/api/v1/sites/dorstenlesser/tokens · kit https://uidiscovery.com/api/v1/sites/dorstenlesser/kit · MCP `get_design_brief({ slug: "dorstenlesser" })`, `get_image_plan({ slug: "dorstenlesser" })`. Cite the reference as https://uidiscovery.com/sites/dorstenlesser.