Preview the prompt +
# Build brief — an original marketing website in the taste of Kengo Kuma
> Reference: https://kkaa.co.jp/en · UIDiscovery: https://uidiscovery.com/sites/kengo-kuma · captured 2026-09-23 at a 1440px desktop viewport (+ 390px iPhone shots) · [full page](https://uidiscovery.com/media/captures/kengo-kuma/full.webp) · [scroll video](https://uidiscovery.com/media/captures/kengo-kuma/preview.mp4)
## 1. Goal
Build an original marketing website for **[the user's brand]** that feels as considered as Kengo Kuma — 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 Kengo Kuma: structure, rhythm, hierarchy, palette mood and type pairing.
- Never reuse Kengo Kuma'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
- Kengo Kuma (kkaa.co.jp): Real Estate marketing website, dark, minimal.
- 4 sections: Hero → Content → Blog → Footer.
- Spacing: about a screen per idea (median section ≈937px).
- Type: one family (-apple-system). Imagery: mostly typography with little or no imagery, some photography.
## 4. Page structure (top to bottom)
### 1. Hero — state what the product is and for whom in one glance, and offer the primary action.
- Layout: headline-led stack: eyebrow → H1 → supporting line → actions, with a visual beside or below. About one full screen (900px at 1440), page background; 18 image elements (photo collage/gallery + small graphics); 10 text links instead of buttons.
- Slots: Eyebrow / announcement pill (optional); H1; Supporting line, 1–2 sentences; Text link action; Hero visual (see image plan).
- [Screenshot](https://uidiscovery.com/media/captures/kengo-kuma/s-01.webp) · imagery: slot 1
### 2. Content — supporting content that deepens one idea.
- Layout: text + media block. About one full screen (937px at 1440), page background; 6 images/icons (a set of cards or a small gallery); 9 text links instead of buttons.
- Slots: Heading (~3 words, like the reference); Body copy; Supporting visual (see image plan); Text link action.
- Topic (tone/length only — never reuse): “PROJECTS”
- [Screenshot](https://uidiscovery.com/media/captures/kengo-kuma/s-03.webp)
### 3. Blog — signal an active, credible team through recent writing.
- Layout: 3-up card grid: image, title, meta. About one full screen (940px at 1440), page background; 6 images/icons (a set of cards or a small gallery); 7 text links instead of buttons.
- Slots: Title + “All posts” link; 3 post cards: cover image, title, date/author.
- Topic (tone/length only — never reuse): “NEWS”
- [Screenshot](https://uidiscovery.com/media/captures/kengo-kuma/s-04.webp)
### 4. Footer — navigation, legal and contact — the page's index.
- Layout: multi-column link groups, brand line, legal row. Compact band (360px at 1440), page background; 3 image/graphics; 12 links (link lists / navigation).
- Slots: Brand mark + one-line description; 3–5 link columns; Newsletter or contact (optional); Legal row + social icons.
- [Screenshot](https://uidiscovery.com/media/captures/kengo-kuma/s-05.webp)
Inner pages also captured (About, Blog, Contact, Security): https://uidiscovery.com/sites/kengo-kuma?view=pages
## 5. Design system
### Colour
| Role | Hex | Use | Contrast on background |
|---|---|---|---|
| background | `#323232` | page background | — |
| foreground | `#2a2a2a` | body text, headings | 1.1:1 ⚠ below AA — adjust |
| accent | `#2a2a2a` | none captured — monochrome. Primary buttons invert (foreground fill, background text); add your brand colour only for small highlights | — |
| surface | `#323232` | cards, inputs, alternate bands | text on it 1.1:1 |
| muted | `#2a2a2a` | secondary text, borders | 1.1:1 — borders / large text only |
Captured palette: `#323232` `#2a2a2a`. Roles are assigned automatically — sanity-check them against the screenshot. Keep the palette's *mood* (dark, neutral, desaturated) and proportions; swap the accent for the user's brand colour.
### Tokens
```css
:root {
--background: #323232;
--foreground: #2a2a2a;
--accent: #2a2a2a;
--surface: #323232;
--muted: #2a2a2a;
--font-heading: "Inter", ui-sans-serif, system-ui, sans-serif;
--font-body: "Inter", 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: **Inter** (Google Fonts) — reference uses -apple-system. “-apple-system” is a licensed face — use Inter 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 ≈937px tall at 1440 (median; range 360–940px, 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
Flat surfaces, hairline 1px borders in the muted colour, small radii (4–8px), almost no shadow. Read exact corner radius, border and shadow treatment from the screenshots. Dark-first; for a light mode swap background ↔ foreground, lighten the surface, keep the accent and re-check contrast.
## 6. Imagery plan
Measured from 3 section screenshots: mostly **typography with little or no imagery**, some photography (dark, neutral, desaturated, Real Estate). Still glance at the linked screenshots to match the exact mood.
### Slot 1 · 1. Hero → photography
- Photography, seen in the capture (blue sky, liquid, water). (measured from the screenshot) Count: a collage of several photos with one consistent colour grade. Aspect: 16:9 full-bleed (or 21:9). Look first: [ref 1](https://uidiscovery.com/media/captures/kengo-kuma/s-01.webp)
- **Stock** — “modern living room natural light dark”: [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/s/photos/modern-living-room-natural-light-dark?orientation=landscape) · [Pexels](https://www.pexels.com/search/modern%20living%20room%20natural%20light%20dark/?orientation=landscape) · [Pixabay](https://pixabay.com/images/search/modern%20living%20room%20natural%20light%20dark/?orientation=horizontal)
- **Generate** — `Photograph: modern living room natural light. Composition: wide shot, subject off-centre to one side, generous clean negative space for the headline. Lighting: low-key, moody directional light with deep shadows. Neutral, desaturated colour grade that sits on #323232, #2a2a2a. 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.`
- **No imagery (type-led)** — 2. Content, 3. Blog: No imagery needed — type, spacing and colour do the work. If the screenshot shows a background graphic, rebuild it in CSS (gradient, grid, noise) or a short muted video, not a stock photo.
- **Icons** — 4. Footer: Use one open-source icon set at one stroke weight — Lucide, Phosphor or Heroicons (MIT) — tinted with the text or accent token. Social icons: Simple Icons.
### 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:
- **abstract 3D / gradient** — generate `Abstract 3D render: soft, glossy glass-like shapes and a smooth gradient in #2a2a2a on a #323232 background. Lighting: low-key, moody directional light with deep shadows; neutral, desaturated 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 dark gradient 3d” on Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/s/photos/abstract-dark-gradient-3d?orientation=landscape) (same query works on Pexels/Pixabay)
- **illustration** — generate `Flat vector illustration: modern living room, friendly simplified shapes, limited palette of #323232, #2a2a2a plus one soft neutral, plenty of empty background, consistent line weight, neutral, desaturated mood. Aspect ratio 16:9. No text, no letters, no logos, no watermarks, no brand marks or trademarked products, no recognisable real people.` · stock: [“home interior flat illustration” on Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/s/photos/home-interior-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/kengo-kuma/tokens · kit https://uidiscovery.com/api/v1/sites/kengo-kuma/kit · MCP `get_design_brief({ slug: "kengo-kuma" })`, `get_image_plan({ slug: "kengo-kuma" })`. Cite the reference as https://uidiscovery.com/sites/kengo-kuma.
