Separate the impression from the mechanism.
“It feels fluid” describes a sensation. To use that observation, I need to understand what moves, when it moves and what stays still. The same goes for a presentation that feels generous: is it image size, cropping, text placement or the rhythm between sections?
I look at the same passage at different widths. The composition then reveals its rules: what moves closer, what wraps and what keeps its position.
Look at the quiet moments too.
A spectacular moment catches the eye. I also look at what happens afterwards: can I read comfortably? Can I find the title again? Is the menu still obvious?
A reference helps me ask those questions. Taking its animation without its hierarchy can produce a very different result. Images, words and spacing do as much work as movement.
Return to what needs to be communicated.
I keep a reference for a specific reason: an intriguing entrance, a way of presenting work, a hover behaviour. Then I return to the content I actually have.
If an idea depends on images I do not have, or overshadows the project, I need to reconsider it. The aim is to find the right form for what I want to say. A reference helps me see more precisely; it cannot make the decision for me.