Recreate a Website's Look Without Copying It
Updated · 5 min read
The short answer
Recreate the style, not the assets. Measurable style (colour roles, a type scale, spacing, radii, motion timing) can guide your own design. The site's logo, photos, illustrations, custom icons, fonts you haven't licensed and its written copy belong to its owner, so don't reuse them; use your own or free alternatives. This isn't legal advice: when in doubt, ask the owner.
Style versus assets
When people say they like a site's design, they usually mean its decisions: a restrained palette with one accent, generous spacing, type that tightens at large sizes, hairline borders instead of shadows. Those are style. The files that make up the site are assets:
- Logos and brand marks
- Photographs and illustrations
- Custom icon sets and drawings
- Commercial fonts (you need your own licence)
- The site's written copy
Use style as direction for your own work; don't reuse assets.
Fonts and icons: check the licence
Many sites use free fonts (Inter, Geist and Google Fonts) and open-source icon sets (Lucide, Phosphor) you can install yourself. Others use paid typefaces or icon sets. Install free ones from their official source, never from the site, and only use paid ones if you hold a licence. Otherwise pick a free alternative with a similar feel.
How Livery handles it
Livery measures style and labels every item in a kit: free to reuse, needs your licence (always with a free alternative), or style only, which your agent recreates in your own way. It never stores a site's images, logos, fonts, stylesheets or text. Site owners can opt in to share more through a livery.json file, or opt out and have kits withdrawn.
Try it on a site you love
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