Linear Method — Practices for building

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

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

## 1. Goal
Build an original marketing website for **[the user's brand]** that feels as considered as Linear Method — 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 Linear Method: structure, rhythm, hierarchy, palette mood and type pairing.
- Never reuse Linear Method'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
- Linear Method (linear.app): Productivity marketing website, dark, serif.
- 2 sections: Statement → Footer.
- Spacing: long, content-rich sections (median ≈1700px tall at 1440).
- Type: Tiempos Headline headings over Inter body. Imagery: mostly typography with little or no imagery.

## 4. Page structure (top to bottom)

### 1. Statement — a large-type moment that sets tone and pace.
- Layout: oversized typography with lots of space. Tall, ≈1.9 screens (1700px at 1440), page background; 3 image/graphics; 11 links (link lists / navigation).
- Slots: Heading (~3 words, like the reference); Body copy; Supporting visual (see image plan); Text link action.
- Topic (tone/length only — never reuse): “Practices for building”
- [Screenshot](https://uidiscovery.com/media/captures/linear-method/s-01.webp)

### 2. Footer — navigation, legal and contact — the page's index.
- Layout: multi-column link groups, brand line, legal row. Half to one screen (494px at 1440), page background; 1 image/graphic; 42 links (link lists / navigation).
- Slots: Brand mark + one-line description; 3–5 link columns; Newsletter or contact (optional); Legal row + social icons.
- Topic (tone/length only — never reuse): “Product”
- [Screenshot](https://uidiscovery.com/media/captures/linear-method/s-03.webp)

Inner pages also captured (Pricing, Product, Customers, Sign up, Log in, Docs, Contact, Security): https://uidiscovery.com/sites/linear-method?view=pages

## 5. Design system
### Colour
| Role | Hex | Use | Contrast on background |
|---|---|---|---|
| background | `#08090a` | page background | — |
| foreground | `#f7f8f8` | body text, headings | 18.7:1 |
| accent | `#5e6ad2` | primary buttons, links, highlights — sparingly | 4.2:1 (large text / UI only) |
| surface | `#08090a` | cards, inputs, alternate bands | text on it 18.7:1 |
| muted | `#8a8f98` | secondary text, borders | 6.1:1 |

Captured palette: `#08090a` `#f7f8f8` `#5e6ad2` `#e5e5e6` `#8a8f98`. Roles are assigned automatically — sanity-check them against the screenshot. Keep the palette's *mood* (dark, cool) and proportions; swap the accent for the user's brand colour.

### Tokens
```css
:root {
  --background: #08090a;
  --foreground: #f7f8f8;
  --accent: #5e6ad2;
  --surface: #08090a;
  --muted: #8a8f98;
  --font-heading: "Source Serif 4", ui-serif, Georgia, 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: **Source Serif 4** (Google Fonts) — reference uses Tiempos Headline. “Tiempos Headline” is a licensed face — use Source Serif 4 (or Newsreader) as the free stand-in, or license the original.
- Body: **Inter** (Google Fonts) — reference uses Inter. Free to use — load it directly.
- 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.
- The serif headings are central to the tone — keep a serif display face even if you swap the family.

### Spacing & rhythm
Sections run ≈1700px tall at 1440 (median; range 494–1700px, captures cap at 1700px) — long, content-rich chapters. Start with 96–128px 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
On dark, separate layers with 1px borders at ~8–12% white and soft glows instead of drop shadows. 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

Best guess: mostly **typography with little or no imagery** (dark, cool, Productivity). Inferred from element counts, colours and industry — not from the pixels — so open the linked screenshots and match the real style before sourcing anything.

- **No imagery (type-led)** — 1. Statement: 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** — 2. 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:
- **photography** — generate `Photograph: abstract gradient mesh. 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. Cool colour grade that sits on #08090a, #5e6ad2. 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 dark” on Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/s/photos/abstract-gradient-mesh-dark?orientation=landscape) (same query works on Pexels/Pixabay)
- **abstract 3D / gradient** — generate `Abstract 3D render: soft, glossy glass-like shapes and a smooth gradient in #5e6ad2 and #8a8f98 on a #08090a background. Lighting: low-key, moody directional light with deep shadows; cool 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: abstract gradient mesh, friendly simplified shapes, limited palette of #08090a, #5e6ad2 plus one soft neutral, plenty of empty background, consistent line weight, cool 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/linear-method/tokens · kit https://uidiscovery.com/api/v1/sites/linear-method/kit · MCP `get_design_brief({ slug: "linear-method" })`, `get_image_plan({ slug: "linear-method" })`. Cite the reference as https://uidiscovery.com/sites/linear-method.