3 ms·

Great idea, but I think you should differentiate a little bit more from Square, design-wise: http://www.leaky.com/ http://www.leaky.com/ vs. https://squareup.c

Great idea, but I think you should differentiate a little bit more from Square, design-wise: http://www.leaky.com/ http://www.leaky.com/ vs. https://squareup.com/ https://squareup.com/ EDIT: I realize they say "until we can hire a designer of our own." — but don't they have the Start Fund + YC + SV Angel money?

benologist 15y ago
Down the bottom it says they actually derived their layout from Square till they can get their own designer.
- prawn 15y ago
  It's a bit more than just the layout - the colours and look and feel are almost completely identical.
  - benologist 15y ago
    Right, but they actually say that on their website!
    - prawn 15y ago
      Is that alright these days? If they're pals, fine, but otherwise?
      - tptacek 15y ago
        It is definitely not alright. They must have permission. An acceptable looking ThemeForest template is a $20 cash outlay; who would risk their launch over this?
    - wuster 15y ago
      This is just a sign of a helpful startup ecosystem. I don't see anything wrong with this arrangement.
      - tptacek 15y ago
        It's awesome if Square actually "loaned" them their design. That seems like a genuinely useful thing an established company could do for a fledgeling one.
        prawn 15y ago
        Even then, it leaves them needing to adjust their branding/L&F at some point which may be jarring for users. Wouldn't be that difficult to borrow the best of the Square layout but use their own fonts, colour scheme, etc and have something of their own.
prawn 15y ago
"All design credit goes to Square. We based our design on their home page until we can hire a designer of our own." With their permission?
- yid 15y ago
  Why would they need permission?
  - prawn 15y ago
    Because they've blatantly copied someone's design? It's not like a new car company starts with someone else's body shape until they can design their own car or copies their TV ad for a few months. I can appreciate that Square might've OKed this or look kindly on a temporary copy from a startup, but for about the same level of effort they could've differentiated their site a fair bit more (even just a different hue for the background).
    - almightygod 15y ago
      why does it matter, the typical consumer wont care. The square design has been successful for them, why not piggyback on that success
      - prawn 15y ago
        Because, without permission, it's not the right thing to do, and the right thing to do need not be expensive? I'm not sure if I'm missing something here - looking at code/designs and tweaking them to learn is one thing, but is basing a funded company on something so blatant now considered OK? I'd like to know if this is the thought pattern for people who are designers or programmers. Is Square within the YC stable, is that it? Should I be doing this with my side projects, to piggyback on that success? (Keep in mind that I'm assuming in this case that they don't have permission.)
        almightygod 15y ago

benologist 15y ago

Down the bottom it says they actually derived their layout from Square till they can get their own designer.

prawn 15y ago
It's a bit more than just the layout - the colours and look and feel are almost completely identical.
- benologist 15y ago
  Right, but they actually say that on their website!
  - prawn 15y ago
    Is that alright these days? If they're pals, fine, but otherwise?
    - tptacek 15y ago
      It is definitely not alright. They must have permission. An acceptable looking ThemeForest template is a $20 cash outlay; who would risk their launch over this?
  - wuster 15y ago
    This is just a sign of a helpful startup ecosystem. I don't see anything wrong with this arrangement.
    - tptacek 15y ago
      It's awesome if Square actually "loaned" them their design. That seems like a genuinely useful thing an established company could do for a fledgeling one.
      - prawn 15y ago
        Even then, it leaves them needing to adjust their branding/L&F at some point which may be jarring for users. Wouldn't be that difficult to borrow the best of the Square layout but use their own fonts, colour scheme, etc and have something of their own.

prawn 15y ago

"All design credit goes to Square. We based our design on their home page until we can hire a designer of our own." With their permission?

yid 15y ago
Why would they need permission?
- prawn 15y ago
  Because they've blatantly copied someone's design? It's not like a new car company starts with someone else's body shape until they can design their own car or copies their TV ad for a few months. I can appreciate that Square might've OKed this or look kindly on a temporary copy from a startup, but for about the same level of effort they could've differentiated their site a fair bit more (even just a different hue for the background).
  - almightygod 15y ago
    why does it matter, the typical consumer wont care. The square design has been successful for them, why not piggyback on that success
    - prawn 15y ago
      Because, without permission, it's not the right thing to do, and the right thing to do need not be expensive? I'm not sure if I'm missing something here - looking at code/designs and tweaking them to learn is one thing, but is basing a funded company on something so blatant now considered OK? I'd like to know if this is the thought pattern for people who are designers or programmers. Is Square within the YC stable, is that it? Should I be doing this with my side projects, to piggyback on that success? (Keep in mind that I'm assuming in this case that they don't have permission.)
      - almightygod 15y ago