The release of "Stitch with Google," powered by Gemini 2.5, has triggered a massive shift in how we build UIs. We are moving from an imperative model (manually pushing pixels in Figma) to a declarative one (describing intent and letting the AI render it).
But there is a catch.
If you use "naive" prompts, you get "naive" results—generic, vanilla interfaces that look like every other AI-generated template. To get production-ready code, you need to stop asking for "a cool website" and start engineering your prompts with semantic precision.
This guide acts as a taxonomy for high-fidelity prompting in Stitch. We’ll move beyond the basics and look at how to control aesthetic, structure, and code output to build interfaces that actually look like they were designed by a human.
The Anatomy of a High-Fidelity Prompt
Stitch doesn't just "paste" images together; it tokenizes your prompt into categories. If you leave a category out, the AI "hallucinates" the missing parameters based on the most common (read: boring) data it has.
To avoid the "AI Slop" look, your prompt needs four distinct layers, acting like a CSS stylesheet:
- Context: Who is this for? (e.g., "Fintech app" triggers different colors than "Children's game").
- Structure: The layout topology (e.g., "Bento grid," "Sidebar navigation").
- Aesthetic: The "vibe" (e.g., "Vintage," "Brutalist").
- Tech Stack: The execution medium (e.g., "Tailwind CSS," "Dark Mode").
Naive vs. Expressive Prompting
The difference between a junior and senior prompt engineer is specificity.
| Feature | Naive Prompt (Don't do this) | Expressive Prompt (Do this) |
|---|---|---|
| Aesthetic | "Make it look cool." | "Apply a retro-futurist aesthetic with neon accents, CRT scanline textures, and cyberpunk typography." |
| Layout | "Show some photos." | "Arrange images in a bento box grid with varying aspect ratios, rounded corners, and hover-state scaling." |
| Color | "Use blue." | "Utilize a monochromatic indigo palette with electric blue highlights and matte black backgrounds." |
| Tech | "Make a website." | "Generate a responsive landing page using Tailwind CSS utility classes and glassmorphism card effects." |
decoding the "Vibe": Aesthetic Semantics
The most powerful lever you have is the style modifier. Using precise art-history or design terms works better than vague adjectives.
1. Vintage vs. Retro
These are often used interchangeably, but they trigger completely different rendering paths.
- Vintage implies authenticity, age, and texture (paper grain, ink bleed).
- Retro implies a modern homage (80s Synthwave, pixel art).
The Vintage Prompt:
Design a recipe app with a vintage aesthetic. Use textured paper backgrounds, hand-drawn illustrations of ingredients, and classic serif typography reminiscent of a 19th-century cookbook. Ensure the UI controls look like analog paper tags.
The Retro Prompt:
Create a retro music player interface inspired by the 1980s Walkman. Use tactile buttons, chrome textures, and a synthwave neon color palette against a dark background. Use monospaced fonts for the tracklist.
![Insert screenshot of Vintage vs Retro comparison here]
2. The "Cultured" Aesthetic
If you want that high-end, Awwwards-style look, use words like "Editorial," "Bespoke," or "Museum-curatorial." This tells Stitch to maximize whitespace and restrict the color palette.
The Cultured Prompt:
Design a cultured, editorial-style landing page for an architecture firm. Prioritize massive whitespace, elegant serif typography for headlines (e.g., Playfair Display), and full-width monochromatic photography. The vibe should be museum-curatorial.
3. Brutalism & Neubrutalism
For edgy, Gen Z-focused brands, Brutalism instructs the AI to ignore standard conventions like rounded corners and soft shadows.
The Neubrutalist Prompt:
Generate a Neo-brutalist e-commerce store. Use clashing high-contrast colors (yellow and black), thick black borders around all containers, monospaced typography, and hard, unblurred drop shadows to create a sticker-like effect.
Structural Semantics: Defining the Layout
Don't let the AI guess the layout. It will almost always give you a single-column stack. Give it a blueprint.
The "Bento Box" Grid
Popularized by Apple and Linear, this organizes content into a unified grid of rectangular tiles.
Prompt:
Create a personal portfolio using a Bento box grid layout. Divide the screen into rectangular tiles of varying sizes: a large square for the profile photo, a wide rectangle for the 'About Me' text, and smaller square tiles for social media links. Use rounded corners and soft gap spacing.
Masonry Layout
Perfect for image-heavy feeds (like Pinterest).
Prompt:
Design a photography feed using a masonry layout. Allow images to retain their original aspect ratios, creating a staggered, waterfall effect. Ensure infinite scroll behavior is implied.
Lighting & Materiality: Beyond Flat Design
Modern UI isn't flat; it has physics. You can use photography terms to control how light hits your UI elements.
- Glassmorphism: Simulates frosted glass (iOS style).
- Neumorphism: Simulates extruded soft plastic.
- Cinematic Lighting: Creates dramatic depth.
The Glassmorphism Prompt:
Design a weather app using glassmorphism. Place translucent white cards over a dynamic, colorful abstract background. Apply a high background blur (backdrop-filter) and a subtle white outline to each card.
![Insert screenshot of Glassmorphism UI here]
Technical Constraints: Getting Production Code
Stitch exports code, so speak to it like a developer. If you want Tailwind, ask for it explicitly.
- Tailwind: "Use standard Tailwind spacing (p-4, m-8) and slate-900 colors."
- Material Design 3: "Use dynamic color tokens and standard MD3 elevation."
- Responsive: "Mobile-first, stack elements vertically on small screens."
The Code-Ready Prompt:
Design a landing page using Tailwind CSS utility classes. Use a split-screen layout for desktop and a vertical stack for mobile. Style buttons with 'rounded-full' and 'hover:bg-blue-600'.
The Refinement Loop
Your first prompt won't be perfect. The power of Stitch is in the conversational iteration.
- Anchor: "Create a mobile app for a coffee shop with a vintage industrial vibe."
- Inject: "Add a bottom nav bar with icons for Home, Order, and Profile."
- Tune-up: "Make the buttons fully rounded with a coffee-brown color. Change the background to a textured paper grain."
- Fix: "The design is too modern. Revert to the vintage theme. Use serif fonts for headers and add a sepia filter."
📋 Copy-Paste Prompt Templates
Here are three "Master Templates" you can copy right now to get started.
Template A: High-End E-Commerce ("Cultured")
Design a responsive web homepage for a high-end furniture brand. The aesthetic should be cultured and minimalist, inspired by Scandinavian design.
Layout: Use a split-screen hero section with a large editorial photo on the left and elegant serif typography (e.g., Bodoni) on the right.
Content: Below the hero, use a masonry grid to showcase products with generous whitespace around each item.
Colors: Use a monochromatic beige and charcoal palette.
Tech: Style buttons with sharp edges and a 1px solid black border (ghost buttons).
Template B: Crypto Dashboard ("Retro-Futurist")
Create a mobile crypto dashboard app with a Retro-Futurist / Cyberpunk vibe.
Background: Deep midnight blue with a faint grid pattern overlay.
Elements: Neon green and electric purple for data lines.
Cards: Apply glassmorphism (translucent blur) with a thin holographic border.
Font: Monospaced font for all numbers to mimic a terminal.
Navigation: Bottom tab bar with glowing icons.
Template C: Recipe Journal ("Vintage")
Design a recipe sharing app with a Vintage aesthetic, evoking an old handwritten journal.
Texture: Apply a paper grain texture to the background.
Typography: Handwritten script for titles, legible serif for instructions.
Colors: Warm cream, sepia, and faded ink blue.
UI Elements: Style buttons to look like stamped ink or paper tags.
Layout: Single-column card view where each card looks like a physical recipe card.
Conclusion
Design is becoming a linguistic act. Your role is evolving from "creator of artifacts" to "curator of specifications." By mastering terms like Masonry, Glassmorphism, and Neubrutalism, you unlock the ability to generate UIs that don't just work—they feel human.
Have you tried Stitch yet? Drop your best prompt in the comments below!
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