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Ask HN: Why does every B2B SaaS have to look like Linear/Stripe?

8 points PaulShin | 1 comments | 07 Dec 25 04:43 UTC | HN request time: 0.2s | source

I'm a founder (and ex-architect) building a logistics OS. Recently, I received feedback that my site looks "cheap and ugly" because I used Serif fonts and an engraving style aesthetic instead of the standard Sans-Serif "Clean Tech" look.

My intent was to evoke the "Age of Exploration" vibe, since the AI era feels like charting unknown territories. But users seem conditioned to trust only "Standard Blue SaaS UI."

My question to HN: Does a B2B tool have to follow the "Standard Modern UI" to be taken seriously? Or is there room for distinctive, maybe even polarizing, aesthetics in enterprise software?

I'm debating whether to cave in and redesign to "boring but safe" or double down on our soul. Would love to hear your thoughts on "Brand Distinctiveness vs. UI Familiarity."

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KellyCriterion ◴[07 Dec 25 07:26 UTC] No.46179901[source]▶
Orienting according to look & feel patterns that people are already familiar with are always a good thing to follow: Like "X" for closing some object usually on the upper right etc.

People actually decide if they like to use an app if the adaption to the usage of that app is as low as possible, so copying existing patterns is good practice.

replies(1): >>46180819 #
1. PaulShin ◴[07 Dec 25 10:55 UTC] No.46180819[source]▶
Yes, I agree