The short version
- In Gradiently you make your own gradient as a Mark in the Forge: a living recipe of colours, stacked materials, light, grain, motion, type and a reaction to words.
- A Mark in the Forge is a private draft that saves every change until you choose to publish it.
- Publishing gives a Mark its code and a page in the Market, and fixes its recipe so it never changes under the designs that wear it.
- Before a Mark is published it is checked against every other Mark, and a recipe that is too close to an existing one is refused.
- The creator of a Mark never changes: your name stays on it as its creator even when someone else owns it.
On this page
To make your own gradient in Gradiently, open the Forge and craft a Mark: up to eight colours, a base material with up to two more layered over it, the light, the grain, the motion, the typefaces and the way it makes room for words. Every control is continuous, so the space of possible Marks is effectively endless. When it is ready, you publish it. It gets a public code and a page in the Market, and your name stays on it as its creator for good.
This guide covers the path from blank draft to published Mark, and what creator credit means. For a control-by-control tour of the editor itself, read the Forge guide.
Four ways to start a Mark
The Forge opens with four doors. None of them locks you in: whichever you choose, every control stays yours to change afterwards.
| Start | What happens | Good when |
|---|---|---|
| From scratch | A fresh random roll to shape by hand | You enjoy exploring and want full control |
| Describe it to the AI | You say how it should feel; it picks the material, palette, motion and type | You can picture a mood but not the settings |
| From a photo | The photo's main colours become the palette; you pick the material | You have a place, product or painting in mind |
| From a Market Mark | Your private draft is seeded from a Mark you like; the original stays as it is | Something is close, but not quite yours |
Describing is often the fastest start. A place, an hour and a mood, such as fog over a harbour at dawn, gives the AI enough to choose a material and palette you can then refine. Describe a Mark in a sentence has examples of descriptions that work.
Shaping the recipe
A Mark's colours are not just a list. Each layer paints with four roles, from dark to bright, and each role takes one palette colour. Changing which colour plays which role changes the whole mood, even with the same swatches.
From there, the Forge's sections take you through material, layers, light and grain, motion, particles, type and reaction, ending in Explore, which lays twelve variations around your Mark: nearby moves, bolder or calmer versions, the same colours in other materials, or the same material in other palettes. Lock any section you are happy with and shuffles and variations leave it alone.
Your draft is private until you publish
Everything in the Forge saves as you go, into a draft only you can see. Versions are kept automatically while you edit and before the AI changes anything, so you can compare two versions side by side and restore either. While it is your draft you can also wear it on your own designs in the Studio, and every change you make in the Forge flows through to them.
A draft Mark worn on a square post while it is still being shaped.
The originality check at publishing
When you choose Publish, your recipe is compared with every other Mark. If it is nearly the same as an existing one, publishing is refused and you are shown the Mark it is too close to. The fix is to move it further: try a new palette, or change the base material, then publish again. This check is what makes ownership meaningful. Nobody can publish a near-copy of your Mark, and you can't accidentally publish a near-copy of theirs.
Publishing is final in a good way. The recipe is fixed from that moment, with its code and its page in the Market, so it never shifts under the designs that wear it. If you want to keep experimenting, make your own version from it: a new draft starts from the published look and the original stays exactly as it is. AI design originality explains why this kind of check matters more as more design is generated.
Creators and owners
The creator
- Whoever made and published the Mark
- Shown on the Mark's page, always
- Listed on their profile under created Marks
- Never changes
The owner
- Whoever holds the Mark now
- Shown on the Mark's page as its current owner
- The only one who can export designs made with it
- Can change, one owner at a time
Once published, anyone can claim your Mark, you included. If you want it for your own brand, claim it yourself right after publishing so every design of yours can wear it. If someone else claims it, they become its owner and your name stays on it as its creator, wherever it goes next. Your profile keeps a record of every Mark you have created.
Questions people ask
How do I make my own gradient in Gradiently?
Open the Forge and start from scratch, from a description, from a photo or from a Market Mark. Shape the colours, materials, light, motion and type, then publish it as a Mark.
Why was my Mark refused when I tried to publish it?
Its recipe was too close to an existing Mark. Try a new palette or change the base material, then publish again.
Can I change a Mark after publishing it?
No. A published Mark is fixed so it never changes under the designs that wear it. Make your own version to start a new draft from it.
Do I keep credit if someone else claims my Mark?
Yes. The creator of a Mark never changes, so your name stays on it and on your profile whoever owns it.
Who can see my draft Marks?
Only you. Drafts stay private in the Forge until you publish them to the Market.
Written by Gradiently
The team behind Gradiently, a design tool built around Marks: living gradients that make everything you design look like yours.
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