How I Built INSANE Claude Design Websites In 10 Minutes

Key Concepts

• Claude Design: An AI-powered interface for prototyping and designing website layouts.
• Design System: A centralized collection of branding assets (colors, fonts, icons, UI components) to ensure visual consistency.
• Claude Code: An AI-driven coding assistant that integrates into development environments to generate, edit, and deploy code.
• Next.js: A React framework used for building full-stack web applications.
• GSAP (GreenSock Animation Platform): A professional-grade JavaScript library for creating high-performance web animations.
• Vercel: A cloud platform for static site hosting and serverless functions, used here for live deployment.
• GitHub: A version control platform used to store and manage the project’s source code.

1. Building a Design System

To ensure a professional and unified brand identity, the process begins by creating a Design System within Claude Design.

• Methodology: Instead of building from scratch, the creator recommends using getdesign.md, a resource providing brand kits for major companies (e.g., Airbnb, Apple).
• Implementation: Copy the brand kit text (colors, typography, dark/light mode settings) and paste it into the "Additional Notes" section of the Claude Design system tab. This allows the AI to apply these specific styles across all generated pages, presentations, and UI elements.

2. Prototyping and Structure

Once the design system is established, the focus shifts to the structural layout.

• High Fidelity vs. Wireframe: The creator advises using "High Fidelity" mode to generate polished, production-ready designs rather than simple structural wireframes.
• Structural Referencing: To guide the AI, the creator suggests taking a screenshot of a preferred layout from a site like Durable.com. By uploading this screenshot to Claude Design, the AI uses the structure of the reference image while applying the branding from the previously created design system.
• Prompting: The user provides a specific prompt detailing the required pages (Home, Services, Contact, About, Case Studies) and instructs the AI to combine the uploaded structural screenshot with the established design system.

3. Editing and Refinement

Claude Design allows for granular control over the generated prototype:

• Comment/Edit Tool: Users can select specific elements (like placeholders) and provide natural language instructions to swap images, change colors, or adjust font sizes.
• Draw Tool: Allows users to circle specific areas on the screen to request targeted visual changes, such as changing text color to red.

4. Development with Claude Code

After finalizing the design, the project is handed off to Claude Code for actual development.

• Setup: Install VS Code (or Google’s Anti-Gravity) and the Claude Code extension.
• The claude.md Instruction Manual: A critical step is creating a claude.md file in the project folder. This file acts as a system instruction manual, defining how the AI should behave and code.
• Execution: The user runs a prompt in Claude Code: "Can you please build this Claude design website using Next.js, and can you use the library GSAP to add animations... read the claude.md file and build this out in one go."
• Animation: By specifying GSAP, the AI automatically integrates complex, high-quality animations (e.g., text fly-ins, scrolling number counters) into the site.

5. Deployment Process

The transition from a local environment (localhost) to a live website involves two primary tools:

1. GitHub: The project code is pushed to a private GitHub repository. The user instructs Claude Code to handle this: "Can you please upload all the code in this project to GitHub?"
2. Vercel: The GitHub repository is connected to Vercel. The user selects the Next.js application preset and deploys.
3. Domain Management: To avoid unprofessional URLs (e.g., project-name.vercel.app), the creator advises linking a custom domain via GoDaddy or Namecheap through the Vercel dashboard.

Synthesis and Conclusion

The workflow presented demonstrates a shift from traditional manual design and coding to an AI-orchestrated pipeline. By separating Design Systems (branding), Prototyping (structure), and Development (coding/animation), users can produce high-fidelity, animated, and fully deployed websites in minutes. The key takeaway is the power of "system instructions" (claude.md) and the integration of specialized libraries like GSAP to elevate AI-generated code from basic templates to professional-grade web experiences.