[ctrl+alt+create live] The Biggest Mistakes People Make with Vibe Coding
What have you been making this week?
Greetings, Programs!
First, did y’all submit your survey to qualify for participating our most recent virtual event (since there’s a $100 Amazon gift card hanging in the balance for someone)?
Second, my Elevator Agent game from that workshop is online for y’all to play (it’s reminiscent of the classic arcade ‘Elevator Action’ game). See you at our next event - once again presented by Every.
Third, thanks for tagging me (@ChrisPirillo) on social! Happy to accelerate your vibe coding wins…
And here’s one that was shared on our Discord server:
This is incredible.
I love seeing what y’all are making! It’s good to…
Build for Yourself First
This weekend, I wanted a way to quickly turn text into animated GIFs - specifically for social media replies. I wanted something fast, clean, and mobile-friendly so I could drop a custom response into a thread without breaking my stride.
Instead of searching for an app that kinda worked, I just... made the one that really worked.
I want to be very clear: I am still not a “software developer.” I didn’t sit down and map out a database schema or spend hours debugging CSS flexbox issues.
I sat down with Google Gemini and described the problem. I described the behavior. I iterated on the “vibe” until the tool in front of me matched the tool in my head.
There is a fundamental principle at play here that most people miss when they talk about AI: Solve your own problems first.
When you try to build “The Next Big Thing” for a hypothetical audience, you’re guessing. But when you build a tool to solve a frustration that besets you on the regular, you have a perfect feedback loop. You are the developer, the QA tester, and the target demographic all at once.
Once you solve a problem for yourself, you’ve likely solved it for thousands of others vicariously.
From Scratch to “Arcade”
This is what vibe coding actually looks like in practice. It’s the shift from being a consumer of software to being a creator of solutions.
I didn’t need a dev team. I didn’t need a budget. I just needed the clarity to define the problem. The result is a tool that works exactly how I want it to, especially on mobile, where most “quick” tools usually fall apart.
If you want to see what a “non-developer” can produce in a single year of vibe coding… I hope you enjoy playing in the arcade.
Why settle for “Kinda”?
The most profound realization you have after your first few vibe-coded apps is how much “kinda working” software we’ve been forced to tolerate.
Why use a generic task manager when you can build one that follows your specific workflow?
Why use a cluttered weather app when you only care about the humidity levels for your 3D printer filament?
Why search for a GIF maker when you can manifest one?
You don’t need to learn to code to stop settling. You just need to start thinking about the problems that annoy you, and then describe the solution to a machine that is finally ready to listen.
Why this matters for you
If you’ve spent your life thinking you weren’t “technical” enough to create tools, you were right - under the old rules. But the rules have changed.
The goal of “vibe coding” isn’t to replace engineers; it’s to empower the rest of us to solve our own problems. It’s about moving from “I wish this existed” to “I built this while standing in the kitchen.”
If you’re ready to stop being a spectator, the ziggurat is open. You don’t need a degree; you just need a clear description of what you want to see happen.
I Made 19 Apps in Two Weeks
Interactive Games & Simulations
Orbit Defender – A classic arcade-style shooter where you protect your planet from incoming celestial threats. Like Zuma!
Imperial Architect – A “strategic” wallpaper generator focused on building and managing an expanding empire. For pretend. ;)
Vecterra Command – A minimalist, vector-based tactical game for those who enjoy precision strategy. Lines, FTW!
TRON TROFF – A neon-drenched tribute to retro grid gaming and light-cycle aesthetics.
Broken City – An atmospheric exploration of urban decay and post-apocalyptic landscapes. Totally fractal.
Creative Tools & Visual Experiments
Emoji Mosaic – Transform any photo into a detailed work of art built entirely out of emojis.
Retro Render – A visual tool that applies classic, low-fidelity aesthetic filters to modern images. ASCII art video!
Fontmoji – A creative utility that blends typography with expressive iconography.
Photo Corkboard – A digital organization tool for pinning, arranging, and visualizing your image collections. Vibed live!
Vessel Reformed – An abstract geometric experiment in fluid shapes and digital sculpture. Inspired by my girlfriend’s music!
Sore Eye – A high-contrast visual experiment designed to test the limits of digital sensory perception. Well, kinda. LoL!
Atmospheric & Audio Exploration
Chromacosm – An immersive, kaleidoscopic exploration of color and deep space.
Livebeat – A real-time music and rhythm generator for interactive soundscapes.
Mid-Canyon – A surreal environmental visualizer featuring dreamlike canyon landscapes.
Fuzzy Neuron – A visualization of “neural fantasies” and abstract patterns.
Developer & Media Utilities
Codesnap – A utility for creating clean, shareable snapshots of your source code.
Vibe GIF – A quick-use tool for generating atmospheric GIF loops from text.
Source Downloader – A technical utility designed for fetching HTML sources from web pages w/o having to “view source.”
How to describe a “vibe” to a machine
The biggest mistake people make when they start vibe coding is trying to talk like a programmer. They look up terms like “CSS Grid” or “Flexbox” and try to give the LLM technical instructions.
This is a waste of time. You’re paying a “syntax tax” you don’t owe.
The secret to getting a UI that doesn’t look like a 1990s spreadsheet is to describe the feeling and the behavior rather than the code. Here is how to communicate a UI vibe so the AI actually gets it right on the first or second try.
1. Establish the “Anchor”
Don’t reinvent the wheel. Use existing design languages as an anchor. The LLM has “read” the entire internet; it knows what different styles feel like.
The “Clean” Vibe: “Give it a modern, minimalist look. High whitespace, sans-serif fonts (like Inter or System UI), and subtle shadows. Think Apple or Notion.”
The “Technical” Vibe: “I want this to feel like a terminal or a dashboard for a developer. Dark mode, monospaced fonts, high-contrast borders, and neon accents. Think FTL or a Matrix terminal.”
The “Playful” Vibe: “Rounded corners (very high radius), bold colors, and bouncy interactions. It should feel like a modern toy or a high-end mobile game.”
2. Describe “Tactile” Behavior
A “vibe” isn’t just a static image; it’s how the app reacts to you. This is what separates professional-feeling software from a “Hello World” project.
Instead of saying “make a button,” tell the AI:
“Buttons should feel tactile. Give them a slight scale-down animation when pressed and a soft glow when hovered. Transitions between screens should be a fast, lateral slide.”
3. The “Anti-Vibe” (Constraints)
Sometimes it’s easier to tell the AI what not to do. This prevents it from defaulting to the generic, boring styles it was trained on.
“No ‘Bootstrap’ looking components.”
“Avoid using pure black; use a very deep navy or charcoal for the dark mode.”
“Don’t use any standard system alerts; build custom toast notifications that slide in from the top-right.”
4. Examples: Intent vs. Instruction
The Wrong Way (Instruction):
“Create a div with a border-radius of 10px and a background color of light blue. Put the text in the center using display flex.”
The Vibe Way (Intent):
“I want a centered card that feels like it’s floating off the page. Use a soft ‘glassmorphism’ effect with a blurred background. It should look premium and airy.”
The Reality of Iteration
The first result will probably be 80% there. To get the last 20%, don’t try to fix the code yourself. Describe the “off” feeling.
Tell the AI: “The spacing feels cramped,” or “The colors are too aggressive—mute the palette by 30%.” You are the creative director, not the laborer. Talk to the machine like it’s a talented (but slightly literal) intern. When you stop worrying about the “how” and start perfecting the “what,” you’ll find that you can build an interface in twenty minutes that would have taken a week to hand-code a few years ago.
Go build something that feels good to use. Join me:
What can you really do with “Vibe Coding?”
The first collaboration with my girlfriend - a professional cellist - was a success. She played to a full room at The Triple Door in Seattle last night while my selected vibe-coded visualizations played behind her. Several of her long-time fans said that they appreciated the immersive experience, so it might happen again.
Don’t sit there and pretend that you can’t vibe code, too - because you can.
Don’t sit there and say “AI sucks” - because what we did with it didn’t.
Don’t sit there and claim this is a flash in the pan - because it’s not.
Yours Digitally,