We analyzed 11 examples of how Linear handles empty states across their product, spanning 4 different approaches: icon with headline and CTA, text-only message, illustration with CTA, modal overlay.
Linear — Settings > Issues > Templates
Settings > Issue Templates page showing no workspace-level issue templates have been created yet
Linear — Global search
Global search results page with the query 'search' returning no matching results across All, Issues, Projects, and Documents tabs
Linear — Team > Issues > Active
Team issues list (Active view) showing onboarding placeholder issues rather than a true empty state. Four default 'Todo' issues guide the user through setup.
Linear — My Issues > Assigned
My Issues > Assigned tab showing no issues assigned to the current user, with the New Issue modal open on top
Linear — Projects > All projects
Projects list page with no projects created, showing an illustration and educational copy about what projects are
Linear — Projects > [Project] > Issues
Individual project view (Issues tab) with no issues added to the project yet, showing status icons and instructional copy
Linear — Views > Issues
Views page showing no custom views have been created, with an illustration and educational description
Linear — My Issues > Assigned
My Issues > Assigned tab showing no issues assigned to the current user, with illustration and CTA
Linear — Inbox
Inbox page with no notifications, showing an empty inbox illustration
Linear — Settings > Projects > Labels
Settings > Project Labels page with no labels defined, showing a search filter, scope dropdown, and an illustration with message
Linear — Projects > New project modal
New Project creation modal showing an empty form overlaying the Projects list page