Design Principle: No Empty States

You’ve seen them. Layouts filled with empty boxes, placeholders, and meaningless filler. It looks “clean” on the surface — but it’s lazy design.

Here’s why I stopped doing it:

1. Design isn’t about boxes — it’s about content
   Empty shapes say nothing. Real design starts with real content, or at least real structure. Otherwise, you’re just decorating wireframes.

2. Placeholders kill the vibe
   They’re not neutral — they’re lifeless. A gray box isn’t “waiting for content”, it’s sucking the soul out of your layout.

3. You’re not fooling anyone
   Clients know when it’s filler. Users don’t care. The only person pretending it works is the designer.

What I do instead:

• Use real headlines early

• Replace blocks with one big statement

• Design a vibe, not a skeleton

No more empty boxes. Give your layout a pulse from day one