error-and-404-craft

name	error-and-404-craft
description	Use when designing error pages. Error pages are brand moments — handle them with editorial craft, not generic apology.

Error and 404 Craft

Error page = brand opportunity. Editorial brands turn 404 into wit + craft. Generic 'Page not found' = template; clever + branded = memorable.

404 page structure

1. Brand-consistent layout (same nav + footer)
2. Witty/branded headline (not 'Error 404')
3. Friendly explanation ('Could not find what you were looking for')
4. Action: search OR return home OR contact
5. Optional brand-aligned illustration
6. NEVER: tech error message, stack trace, server info

Editorial 404 examples

• 'This card hasn't been graded yet.'
• 'Off the press. Page not yet published.'
• 'We searched the slab. No card inside.'
• 'No file found. The page may have been moved.'

Match brand voice. CardPrepAI's editorial voice fits 'This card hasn't been graded yet.' better than 'Whoops!'

HTTP error coverage

Pages to design:

• 404 (Not Found) — most common
• 500 (Server Error) — graceful degradation
• 403 (Forbidden) — auth issue
• 503 (Service Unavailable) — maintenance
• Offline (no connection) — fallback page

Each gets brand-consistent treatment, not server-generated default.

Where this fits in the X3 empire

Error page design for CardPrepAI and all X3 entities.