Redesigning a SaaS Startup Brand and Website
1/6: Background
Cerebra was a pre-seed device management startup preparing to open its beta program. I joined for one month as the sole designer, working alongside the CEO and one developer, to rebuild the website and align it with where the product actually was.
Before and after: from a stock SaaS template to a distinct visual identity.
To get there, I used a startup development-stages diagram as a kickoff tool — a fast way to anchor the conversation in where Cerebra stood, not where it hoped to be.
Used at kickoff to anchor the conversation in where Cerebra actually was.
Two things came out of that conversation: Cerebra wasn't trying to grow its user base yet, and its primary audience was tech startups needing an affordable device-management solution to meet compliance requirements.
Cold traffic was deliberately left out of scope. Converting it would have required a full marketing strategy — beyond what a one-month website engagement could deliver.
2/6: Two Audiences Two Pages
The site structure followed directly from who was arriving and why. Direct beta users had already seen the CEO's pitch and needed a fast path to sign up. Potential beta users were still evaluating and needed enough information to trust Cerebra before committing.
Mapping both pages down to their component parts before any visual design began.
Home Page
The homepage carried the trust-building work: value proposition, benefits, and — since Cerebra had no testimonials yet — the founder's own story as the credibility signal.
Cerebra’s founder has experienced the pain of IT admin first-hand, and by emphasizing his understanding and commitment, we could underscore Cerebra’s authenticity.
Beta Page
The beta page carried the conversion work: a direct signup form paired with a step-by-step breakdown of what enrollment involved.
Three paths in, one destination — including a redirect for visitors without an account yet.
The beta page's job: convert visitors who already know they want in.
3/6: Visual System
I started from the CEO's own reference points and used them to build a mood board spanning two directions: refined and minimal, and bold and sci-fi.
The logo's typeface was round and curvy; Roboto, Cerebra's only typeface at the time, was sharp and geometric. I introduced Nunito as a bridge between them — round enough to echo the logo, structured enough to sit next to Roboto without clashing.
The color direction — dark blue and purple, both pulled from the sci-fi and galactic references — was tested across several full homepage variants before landing. Whatever won on the homepage extended, unchanged, to every other page.
4/6: Animation
The hero animation was conceived, designed, and built independently — delivered as a gif, no developer involvement.
Three references shaped it: Cerebra's Marvel namesake, able to reach any mind; the logo's own orbital imagery; and the idea of an expanding galaxy of connected devices. In the final version, the core circle is Cerebra's MDM, the orbit is its reach, and devices of every kind sit inside it — monitored and controlled wirelessly.
5/6: Responsive
Alongside the desktop build, I delivered a full mobile design and a responsive guidelines document — how the grid, breakpoints, and hero image should behave across screen sizes.
6/6: Outcome
I delivered the designs within a month. The website itself was never launched; beta kept getting pushed as the team kept refining the product. But the system built here didn't stay on the shelf. It became the foundation for when I started working on Cerebra Console.
Decisions made in this one-month engagement became the starting point for the entire Cerebra Console interface.