By Jennie J DeBusk, Idaho Websites
Note about the following writing: all human written. All em dashes are placed purposefully by a human — me, I’m that human.
The first time I witnessed Claude generate a website, I was truly awestruck. The designs are clean, look great on a mobile, and come equipped with all the modern features of a professional website. The brand story just magically appears and the copy actually sounds pretty intelligent. The graphics are clean and brand aligned. A good-looking website created from a single prompt in a few minutes, or at least at first glance it appears that way. Witnessing this made me feel like a novice in my profession of 14 years.
So, where do I fit in as a middle-aged website designer with these new tools? Am I a tradesman of a dying craft from yesteryear? With the dread for my future profession looming, I read an article about Forever 21 filing bankruptcy. It got me reminiscing about when that store opened in our mall when I was a teen, I was giddy with the massive selection and affordable price tags. And now they’re gone. I realized that these vibe-coded websites are to the internet as fast fashion is to the clothing industry. They will appeal to a certain demographic, but not to all. And trends do not always stand the test of time, high quality craftsmanship and artistry does. My anxiety about my future has eased.
Ways That Vibe-Coded Websites Are Like Fast Fashion:
- People with good taste can tell.
- You do not plan on longevity. Long-term regular use is out of the question.
- Not a luxury product.
- Designers judge you.
- Affordable, cheap materials
- No connection to the person who made it
- Not custom made to your measurements
I see vibe-coded websites everywhere. I can tell because they follow a similar visual flow. With the same simple clunky header, hero left / right layout, formulaic all caps sub-heading / heading structure, boxed call to action area, and the boring footer — the sites scream generated design. And do not get me started on the AI flyers. They look good at first glance, but if you really look at them, you realize they’re just fucking strange. The photos, the typography, the icons — I can tell that it’s AI-generated at first glance.
Just like the $20 trendy polyester top I didn’t buy at Forever 21 — I want something that feels good, gives me confidence, was made with care and thought, and will last me for years. I think the same will happen with website design, people will still want a beautiful and thoughtful design that makes them feel good about their business. Website designers will act as custom tailors, crafting a quality product to the client’s unique needs. Low-priced websites will be replaced with AI solutions. Mid-tier agencies will need to pivot their solutions or suffer a slow death. But those that are able to plant themselves firmly in the luxury, done-for-you website service will flourish.
Creatives need to push back, to continue to make new ideas.
I yearn for the Myspace days of HTML profiles, when everything was unique and fun and loud. When every other row’s background color wasn’t #F1F1F1, and all photos were taken by an actual photographer (or at least someone behind a camera). As many others have predicted, I believe that we’re in for a design revolution where the human crafted and unique designs become the luxury product. Custom websites that break the grid and have creative details will stand out in a web full of sameness. The hand crafted will become a distinguishing trait that makes one pause and take notice, just as a custom couture garment signals luxury and craftsmanship.
People will learn that sites that remain shelf stable with the ability to last for years are worth the extra investment. Dashboards with features for SEO, contact forms, redirects, and website content management allow your business to pivot and grow within a stable environment. Much like a custom tailor, your website designer keeps you looking your best. A human to help you discuss, plan, implement and maintain your businesses’ brand. I believe this career is more needed than ever.
I want to address what AI does well in relation to websites.
It’s not all bad. AI design comps can make a fantastic starting point. It helps template, plan, and quality control the work. It can act as a source of inspiration. Arguably most important, it can help you with the menial tasks of developing a website. Things like migrating a blog, organizing a database, configuring automations, and helping through a complex code function or animation. Clients will see more affordable solutions for complex development tasks and integrations. For businesses just starting with little to no budget, go for it – glad you’re putting yourself out there and when you can afford it, consider an upgrade.
In conclusion, just as you wouldn’t show up to a speaking event wearing rags, your website should represent your company in the best possible light. I firmly believe in three things: quality matters, good design makes life better, and we need people. We must fight against being lazy as designers and business owners, to push our creative ideas, to try new things. As tradesmen, we must continually refine our skills, learn the tools, and improve our process. As designers we must pay attention to the details — add the extra background texture, illustrate the custom icons, hand draw the logo. And as people, we must continue to inject humanity into the internet before the whole thing becomes a slop wasteland.