01
Show the seams.
A border is a decision. A shadow is a decision. Make them visible, make them thick, and never pretend the box is not a box. Users are not fooled by a gradient into thinking a button is a pebble; they are only slowed down.
02
Weight is information.
If everything is bold, nothing is. Use one heavy voice for what matters, one plain voice for everything else, and let the size difference be embarrassing.
03
The grid is a tool, not a god.
Break it where the content asks you to. Symmetry is the default of the lazy; asymmetry is the default of the attentive.
04
No dark patterns.
The cancel button is the same size as the confirm button. The unsubscribe link is the same colour as the subscribe link. If a design only works because someone did not notice it, it does not work.
05
Motion must mean something.
Animate to explain where a thing came from or where it went. Never to decorate. Twelve frames is enough. Respect the person who asked for less.
06
Two colours, maximum.
One to shout (#e8ff47), one to warn (#ff2e1f). Everything else is ink on paper.
07
Write like you mean it.
No placeholder text survives to production. No "Oops!". No "Something went wrong". Say what broke, who is fixing it, and what the user can do in the meantime. A sentence that cannot be said out loud to a stranger should not ship.
08
Ship the raw version.
A page that loads in 200 ms with system fonts beats a page that loads in 3 s with a brand typeface. Every time.
09
Honesty is a practice, not a look.
You can steal this page's borders and still lie to your users. The thick outline is a reminder, not a certificate. Re-read the eight clauses above every time you open a design file. Then break the one that is stopping you from telling the truth.