# Turn Vague Words Into Clear Instructions

Words like "premium", "modern" or "smooth" feel clear to you, but an AI agent cannot measure them. This guide turns 16 common words into rules an agent can follow and you can check.

Made by [HorizonX](https://horizonx.so/), a library of UI kits, components and templates for people who build with AI.

You can copy the requests, templates and checklists in this guide into your own projects, including client work and paid work. Please do not republish the whole guide. Link to it instead.

## The problem

When you say "make it premium", the agent picks its own idea of premium. You get gradients, glow and big shadows, because many websites use them. Then you write "more premium", and it adds more of the same.

The fix is simple. Before you use a feeling word, write what it means in things you can see.

## How to use this list

1. Find the word you were going to use.
2. Copy the rules under it.
3. Remove any rule you do not want.
4. Paste the rules into your request instead of the word.

The numbers are starting points, not laws. Change them to fit your project.

## The words

### Premium

- A lot of empty space around content.
- One or two colors, plus black, white and grey.
- Thin lines (1 pixel) instead of heavy shadows.
- Large headings, small and calm body text.
- No gradients, no glow, no stickers or badges.

### Modern

- Rounded corners between 8 and 16 pixels, the same everywhere.
- A simple sans-serif font, for example Inter.
- Flat colors, no textures.
- Clear grid: content lines up on the left.

### Clean

- No more than three font sizes on the screen.
- No more than one accent color.
- Every section has the same space above and below.
- Remove anything that is not needed for the main action.

### Minimal

- One main action per screen.
- No icons unless they help someone understand.
- No background images.
- Short text: headings under eight words.

### Bold

- Very large heading, at least 56 pixels on desktop.
- High contrast: dark text on light, or light on dark.
- One strong accent color used on the main button.

### Playful

- Rounded corners of 20 pixels or more.
- Bright colors, but only three of them.
- Small, short animations on click (under 300 milliseconds).
- Friendly words in buttons, for example "Let's go".

### Elegant

- A serif font for headings, a simple sans-serif for text.
- Soft, quiet colors.
- Slow, gentle fades (around 400 milliseconds).
- Lots of line spacing in text.

### Professional

- Neutral colors: navy, grey and white.
- Clear labels, no jokes.
- Tables and lists line up neatly.
- Every button says exactly what it does.

### Smooth

- Animations last between 200 and 400 milliseconds.
- Use "ease-out" so things slow down at the end.
- Nothing jumps: no layout moves while the page loads.
- Scrolling is never blocked or taken over.

### Fast

- The first screen shows in under two seconds on a phone.
- Images are compressed and sized for the screen.
- Buttons react the moment you press them.

### Friendly

- Text speaks to "you".
- Short sentences.
- Empty states explain what to do next, with a button.
- Errors say how to fix the problem.

### Luxury

- Dark or very light backgrounds, nothing in between.
- Large, high-quality photos.
- Very few words.
- Gold or warm accent used only in small details.

### Techy

- Dark background.
- A monospace font for small labels and numbers.
- Thin grid lines or dots in the background, very faint.
- One bright accent color, for example green or cyan.

### Simple

- One column on phones.
- Big, easy-to-read text (at least 16 pixels).
- Only the steps the person needs, in order.

### Trustworthy

- Real contact details in the footer.
- Prices shown clearly, with no hidden costs.
- No fake timers, no fake "12 people are watching" messages.
- Clear privacy note near any form.

### Pop / Stand out

- One unexpected element only, for example a large 3D object or a bright color block.
- Everything else stays calm, so the one element gets attention.

## Write your own

If your word is not here, ask yourself:

- **Color:** how many colors, and which ones?
- **Space:** a little or a lot?
- **Shape:** sharp or rounded corners? How round?
- **Text:** which font, how big, how much?
- **Motion:** none, a little or a lot? How fast?
- **What to avoid:** what would make it look wrong?

Answer these six, and you have your rules.

## A full example

Instead of:

> Make the hero section more premium and smooth.

Write:

> Change the hero section. Use a lot of empty space. Keep only two colors: navy and white. Use 1-pixel lines instead of shadows. The heading is 64 pixels; the text under it is 18 pixels. The image fades in over 300 milliseconds with ease-out. Nothing else on the page should move. Do not add gradients or glow.

## Check before you send

- [ ] I removed every feeling word, or I explained it.
- [ ] My rules use things you can see or measure.
- [ ] I said what to avoid.

## Next steps

- [How to Ask an AI Agent to Build Your First Screen](https://horizonx.so/resources/ask-an-ai-agent-to-build-your-first-screen)
- [How to Ask for Animations](https://horizonx.so/resources/how-to-ask-for-animations)