Name the four things that give it away — the default font pairing, evenly spaced sections, stock gradients, and copy that describes rather than says anything — and ask for specific replacements. Generated design is recognisable because it is average, and average is what you have to remove.
The prompt
This looks generated. Replace the default font pairing with one typeface used at three deliberate sizes, vary the vertical spacing between sections so they are not identical, remove every gradient and decorative icon, and rewrite the headings to say one specific thing each rather than describing the section.
| When to use it | Before anyone outside sees it. The tell is instant and it costs you credibility before a word is read. |
|---|---|
| Why it is worded that way | Generated layouts converge on the same average, so they look like each other rather than like you. Each item in this prompt targets a specific tell, which works better than asking for something to look better — a vague request produces another average, slightly different. |
The spacing tell is the strongest
Equal gaps between every section reads as a template even when nothing else does. Real design varies the rhythm: tight where things belong together, generous where the subject changes.
Copy is where it shows most
"Streamline your workflow" describes a category. A specific sentence with a number or a name in it cannot have been written for anyone else, and that is what makes a page feel made rather than assembled.
One decision beats twelve tweaks
Pick one unusual, deliberate thing — a typeface, a single accent colour, an unexpected layout for one section — and let the rest be plain. A page with one strong decision reads as designed; a page with twelve small ones reads as fussy.
The Build Prompt Pack
This is one of 57 prompts, from the phase "Make it not look AI-generated". The pack has the rest, each with the same reasoning underneath, plus the research they are built on and a house-rules file you paste in once.
Tools this applies to
| Tool | What it does | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Lovable | Builds complete apps from a prompt. The most finished output of the group. | Free tier, then ~$25/mo |
| Bolt | Fast full-stack prototypes, entirely in the browser. | Free tier, Pro ~$25/mo |
| v0 | Strong on how individual screens look; now full apps too. | Free tier, then ~$20/mo |
| Figma | Design and screens, including showing a client something before you build. | Free tier |
| Canva | Thumbnails, covers and anything that has to look good quickly. | Free tier |
Every tool has its own page with what it costs and who should skip it. Some links are affiliate links.
More prompts like this
The prompt that stops a builder making the wrong app
How do you describe an app to an AI builder so it builds what you actually wanted?
The prompt that gets a plan before any code
How do you make an AI coding agent plan the work before it starts writing code?
The prompt for the screens nobody designs
Why does an AI-built app look broken when there is no data yet?