Playground — Digital agency

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

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

## 1. Goal
Build an original marketing website for **[the user's brand]** that feels as considered as Playground — 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 Playground: structure, rhythm, hierarchy, palette mood and type pairing.
- Never reuse Playground'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
- Playground (playground.it): Entertainment marketing website, light, award winner.
- 6 sections: Statement → Features → Logo cloud → About → Footer.
- Spacing: long, content-rich sections (median ≈1700px tall at 1440).
- Type: one family (PP Neue Montreal). Imagery: mostly typography with little or no imagery, some photography.

## 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 #1f42e3; 1 image/graphic; no interactive controls.
- Slots: Heading; Body copy; Supporting visual (see image plan).
- [Screenshot](https://uidiscovery.com/media/captures/playground/s-01.webp)

### 2. Features — explain the key benefits, grouped so each can be scanned in seconds.
- Layout: section title over a grid or alternating rows of benefit items. Tall, ≈1.9 screens (1700px at 1440), own dark band #1f42e3; 3 image/graphics; primary + secondary button.
- Slots: Section title (~3 words, like the reference); 2 items: icon or visual + short title + 1–2 line description; Primary + secondary action.
- Topic (tone/length only — never reuse): “DIGITAL EXPERIENCES”
- [Screenshot](https://uidiscovery.com/media/captures/playground/s-02.webp)

### 3. Features — explain the key benefits, grouped so each can be scanned in seconds.
- Layout: section title over a grid or alternating rows of benefit items. About one full screen (1167px at 1440), own dark band #000000; 9 images/icons (a set of cards or a small gallery); 9 buttons (tabs, toggles or per-card actions), 28 links (link lists / navigation).
- Slots: Section title (~3 words, like the reference); 9 items: icon or visual + short title + 1–2 line description; Primary + secondary action.
- Topic (tone/length only — never reuse): “Selected works”
- [Screenshot](https://uidiscovery.com/media/captures/playground/s-03.webp)

### 4. Logo cloud — borrow trust from recognisable customers or partners.
- Layout: a single row or wall of monochrome marks with a one-line lead-in. Tall, ≈1.9 screens (1700px at 1440), own dark band #000000; no images (type-led); one primary button.
- Slots: One-line lead-in (e.g. “Trusted by…”); 6–10 monochrome customer/partner marks (your own, with permission).
- Topic (tone/length only — never reuse): “We work with”
- [Screenshot](https://uidiscovery.com/media/captures/playground/s-04.webp)

### 5. About — tell the story or mission behind the brand.
- Layout: text block with a supporting image. Tall, ≈1.9 screens (1700px at 1440), own dark band #1f42e3; 3 image/graphics; 1 text link 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): “Our values”
- [Screenshot](https://uidiscovery.com/media/captures/playground/s-05.webp) · imagery: slot 1

### 6. Footer — navigation, legal and contact — the page's index.
- Layout: multi-column link groups, brand line, legal row. About one full screen (766px at 1440), own dark band #1f42e3; no images (type-led); form with 3 fields, one primary button, 13 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): “Subscribe to get the latest news in your inbox.”
- [Screenshot](https://uidiscovery.com/media/captures/playground/s-06.webp)

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

## 5. Design system
### Colour
| Role | Hex | Use | Contrast on background |
|---|---|---|---|
| background | `#ffffff` | page background | — |
| foreground | `#000000` | body text, headings | 21.0:1 |
| accent | `#1f42e3` | primary buttons, links, highlights — sparingly | 7.1:1 |
| surface | `#ffffff` | cards, inputs, alternate bands | text on it 21.0:1 |
| muted | `#959595` | secondary text, borders | 3.0:1 — borders / large text only |

Captured palette: `#ffffff` `#1f42e3` `#000000` `#959595`. Section bands top→bottom: `#1f42e3` → `#000000`. Roles are assigned automatically — sanity-check them against the screenshot. Keep the palette's *mood* (light, cool) and proportions; swap the accent for the user's brand colour.

### Tokens
```css
:root {
  --background: #ffffff;
  --foreground: #000000;
  --accent: #1f42e3;
  --surface: #ffffff;
  --muted: #959595;
  --font-heading: "Hanken Grotesk", ui-sans-serif, system-ui, sans-serif;
  --font-body: "Hanken Grotesk", 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: **Hanken Grotesk** (Google Fonts) — reference uses PP Neue Montreal. “PP Neue Montreal” is a licensed face — use Hanken Grotesk (or 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 ≈1700px tall at 1440 (median; range 766–1700px, 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. The background changes 2 times down the page — use band changes to mark chapters. 8px spacing grid, 1200–1280px max content width, 24px (mobile) / 32–48px (desktop) gutters.

### Shape, depth & theme
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

Measured from 5 section screenshots: mostly **typography with little or no imagery**, some photography (light, cool, Entertainment). Still glance at the linked screenshots to match the exact mood.

### Slot 1 · 5. About → photography
- Photography, seen in the capture (people). (measured from the screenshot) Count: a set of ~3 in one consistent style. Aspect: 4:5. Look first: [ref 1](https://uidiscovery.com/media/captures/playground/s-05.webp)
- **Stock** — “vinyl record player close up”: [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/s/photos/vinyl-record-player-close-up?orientation=portrait) · [Pexels](https://www.pexels.com/search/vinyl%20record%20player%20close%20up/?orientation=portrait) · [Pixabay](https://pixabay.com/images/search/vinyl%20record%20player%20close%20up/?orientation=vertical)
- **Generate** — `Photograph: vinyl record player close up. Composition: candid, documentary feel. Lighting: soft natural daylight, airy and high-key. Cool colour grade that sits on #1f42e3, #ffffff. Photorealistic, natural textures, shallow depth of field, 35mm lens. Aspect ratio 4:5. No text, no letters, no logos, no watermarks, no brand marks or trademarked products, no recognisable real people.`

- **No imagery (type-led)** — 1. Statement, 2. Features, 3. Features: 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.
- **Logos** — 4. Logo cloud: Never generate or stock-source logos. Use your real customers'/partners' marks with permission (monochrome, equal height), or neutral wordmark placeholders until you have them. Integration icons: each tool's official brand kit (Simple Icons is a quick start; trademarks still apply).
- **Icons** — 6. 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, matte clay shapes and a smooth gradient in #1f42e3 and #959595 on a #ffffff background. Lighting: soft natural daylight, airy and high-key; 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 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: concert stage lights crowd, friendly simplified shapes, limited palette of #1f42e3, #ffffff 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: [“music flat illustration” on Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/s/photos/music-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/playground/tokens · kit https://uidiscovery.com/api/v1/sites/playground/kit · MCP `get_design_brief({ slug: "playground" })`, `get_image_plan({ slug: "playground" })`. Cite the reference as https://uidiscovery.com/sites/playground.