Anti-Vibecode Rules

Banned Layout Patterns

Every pattern below appears on multiple competitor sites. Using any of them signals 'generic freight broker template'. They are banned under @vibe-check:strict.

• —Full-width hero with truck/highway background photo + white overlay text
• —Three-pillar icon grid (Reliability | Speed | Network or any variant)
• —Alternating text-left/image-right sections repeated more than twice
• —Animated counter statistics ('10,000+ shipments moved')
• —Shipper / Carrier binary CTA split in the hero
• —'Ready to Get Started?' or equivalent full-width close section
• —Testimonial carousel that auto-advances
• —Every section with the same padding/rhythm (no visual hierarchy)
• —Floating WhatsApp/chat bubble (bottom-right green circle)

Banned Color Choices

• —Any shade of corporate blue as primary (#0071C7, #2563EB, #2aaae2, #00F49C)
• —Blue + orange combination (the freight industry default)
• —Navy + yellow/gold
• —Gray gradient section backgrounds alternating with white
• —Multiple accent colors competing on one page
• —Pure #000000 black as background (we use #0a0a0f)
• —Pure #ffffff white as body text (we use rgba(255,255,255,0.90))

Banned Fonts

• —Montserrat, Lato, or Roboto as primary font
• —Fjalla One — WordPress logistics template fingerprint
• —ALL CAPS + 2px letter-spacing on section headers (2017 design blog move)
• —Outfit at weight 400 for body text on dark (use 300 — lighter reads crisper)
• —Uniform weight hierarchy — only bold + regular, nothing in between
• —Default browser/system font stack without intentional pairing
• —Hero heading at default tracking (must be -0.03em or tighter at display sizes)

Banned Copy

Every phrase below appears verbatim on 50+ freight broker sites. They are clichés that signal lack of confidence.

• —'Your Trusted Partner in Freight' — appears verbatim on 100+ sites
• —'Seamless Logistics Solutions'
• —'End-to-End Logistics'
• —'Industry-Leading [Anything]'
• —'On-Time, Every Time'
• —'State-of-the-Art Technology'
• —'Dedicated Team of Experts'
• —'Connecting the World, One Shipment at a Time'
• —'We Move Your Business Forward'
• —'Competitive Rates'

Banned CTAs

• —'Get Started' — dentists, lawn care companies, and freight brokers all use this
• —'Learn More' as a card CTA — says nothing about destination or value
• —'Submit' on forms — describes the server action, not the user's outcome
• —'Get a Quote' appearing more than once above the fold
• —'Contact Us' as a primary CTA

Banned Motion Patterns

• —transition: all 0.3s ease — the instant giveaway
• —Simultaneous animations — everything fades in at once
• —Scale-only hovers (transform: scale(1.05))
• —AOS library default classes — recognizable pattern
• —Animation on page load regardless of user action
• —No animation at all — static = template
• —Linear easing anywhere visible

Banned Photography

• —Semi truck on empty western highway at golden hour
• —Aerial warehouse with forklift rows
• —Smiling truck driver, thumbs up
• —World map with glowing route lines ('global network' image)
• —Two businesspeople shaking hands in front of a truck
• —Any Unsplash/Pexels logistics photo — the top 20 have been used 10,000x each
• —Shutterstock models in hard hats pretending to be Raven employees

What We Used Instead

Real assets sourced from Raven's existing WordPress media library.

• —Team headshots: James, Mike, Hubert, Kevin — real faces, no stock models
• —Office photography: high-res ops shots from the Chicago office
• —Client logos: Apple, GM, DHL, Bosch, LG, Siemens, Volvo, US Postal — enterprise proof
• —Tagline: 'No excuses, just execution.' — Batman in 4 words, kept exactly
• —Primary CTA: 'Send first Raven.' — most differentiated CTA in the category
• —Dark palette #0a0a0f — the only logistics site with a near-black base
• —Red accent #e13a44 — the only freight broker with a red accent (everyone else: blue/green)