Designing business strategy into clearer messaging and better-performing websites | 30+ Credible Projects Delivered @8pt_design
Joined February 2022
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Simoom retweeted
AI isn't killing design.
It's just exposing bad designers
Because making something look good was never the actual job.
AI can generate 100 clean layout variations in seconds.
Here is what it still cannot do:
• Tell you which one makes a customer trust your brand
• Understand the unstated anxieties of your audience
• Challenge a flawed client brief before burning budget
• Build a scalable design system that holds up in production
That is the difference between decorating a screen and solving a business problem.
If all you bring to the table is visual execution, you are competing on the single thing software gets exponentially better at every month.
The real question every designer needs to answer:
Are you just making things look good?
Or do you know why they need to look that way?
AI isn't killing design.
It's just exposing bad designers
Because making something look good was never the actual job.
AI can generate 100 clean layout variations in seconds.
Here is what it still cannot do:
• Tell you which one makes a customer trust your brand
• Understand the unstated anxieties of your audience
• Challenge a flawed client brief before burning budget
• Build a scalable design system that holds up in production
That is the difference between decorating a screen and solving a business problem.
If all you bring to the table is visual execution, you are competing on the single thing software gets exponentially better at every month.
The real question every designer needs to answer:
Are you just making things look good?
Or do you know why they need to look that way?
Simoom retweeted
Founders treat their website like an instruction manual.
In reality, design is a perception engine.
Here is how strategic design dictates each belief:
What it is (Category Framing) :
Buyers have zero patience to decipher ambiguous products.
If your layout is playful and colorful, they assume it’s a consumer toy. If it’s high-contrast, dense, and structured, they treat it like serious infrastructure.
Your visual hierarchy anchors your category before they read a single paragraph.
Who it is for (Audience Signaling) :
Trying to look like software for everyone ensures you resonate with no one.
An enterprise VP and a solo builder look for completely different visual cues. Typography scale, spacing density, and integration badges signal status.
Design choices instantly tell the visitor: "You're in the right room" or "This wasn't built for you."
Why it deserves consideration (Contrast Architecture) :
Listing 20 features will never convince someone to switch.
High-converting websites use contrast architecture:
Side-by-side workflow breakdowns, the "Old Way vs. New Way," and undeniable proof of speed. It visually highlights the one trade-off incumbents cannot make.
A weak website forces an elite product into the discount bin.
A strategic website commands premium consideration before the demo call even begins.
Simoom retweeted
Your next favorite display font might be hiding in this list.
4 grotesk typefaces worth adding to your design toolkit:
ateliertriay.github.io/brico… — Bricolage Grotesque
befonts.com/amiamie-font-fam… — Amiamie
noirblancrouge.com/fonts/lil… — Lil Grotesk
usemodify.com/fonts/lunchtyp… — Lunchtype
Save these for your next bold hero section. 🔖
Founders treat their website like an instruction manual.
In reality, design is a perception engine.
Here is how strategic design dictates each belief:
What it is (Category Framing) :
Buyers have zero patience to decipher ambiguous products.
If your layout is playful and colorful, they assume it’s a consumer toy. If it’s high-contrast, dense, and structured, they treat it like serious infrastructure.
Your visual hierarchy anchors your category before they read a single paragraph.
Who it is for (Audience Signaling) :
Trying to look like software for everyone ensures you resonate with no one.
An enterprise VP and a solo builder look for completely different visual cues. Typography scale, spacing density, and integration badges signal status.
Design choices instantly tell the visitor: "You're in the right room" or "This wasn't built for you."
Why it deserves consideration (Contrast Architecture) :
Listing 20 features will never convince someone to switch.
High-converting websites use contrast architecture:
Side-by-side workflow breakdowns, the "Old Way vs. New Way," and undeniable proof of speed. It visually highlights the one trade-off incumbents cannot make.
A weak website forces an elite product into the discount bin.
A strategic website commands premium consideration before the demo call even begins.
Stop writing poetic hero headlines.
Nobody visits your website looking for inspiration.
They’re looking for relief from a specific headache.
Most founders write hero headlines like this:
"Empowering teams to do their best work"
"The future of intelligent collaboration"
"Revolutionizing how modern companies scale"
These say absolutely nothing.
They offer zero proof, zero specificity, and zero reason to keep scrolling.
A high-converting hero headline follows a simple 3-part formula:
[Desirable Outcome] + [Measurable Proof or Timeframe] + [Key Objection Removed]
Look at the difference:
Instead of:
"AI-powered financial management for modern businesses."
Write:
"Reconcile 500 client invoices in under 4 minutes—without touching a spreadsheet."
Instead of:
"We help B2B founders scale outbound pipeline."
Write:
"Book 15 qualified demos a month from existing traffic. No extra ad spend."
Clear always beats clever.
Specific always beats broad.
If your headline can't be understood by a tired buyer in 3 seconds, rewrite it.