Brands.io
Every startup begins with a simple question:
“What should we call it?”
Platforms like Brands.io try to answer this by offering curated, AI-generated domains. But naming is rarely just about availability — it’s about understanding what a brand stands for.
In this redesign, I reimagined Brands.io from a domain marketplace into a guided brand discovery experience for early-stage founders.
Instead of focusing only on buying a domain, the experience shifts toward exploration, direction, and meaning before committing to a name.
Brands.io
Every startup begins with a simple question:
“What should we call it?”
Platforms like Brands.io try to answer this by offering curated, AI-generated domains. But naming is rarely just about availability — it’s about understanding what a brand stands for.
In this redesign, I reimagined Brands.io from a domain marketplace into a guided brand discovery experience for early-stage founders.
Instead of focusing only on buying a domain, the experience shifts toward exploration, direction, and meaning before committing to a name.
Role
Product Designer
Project Type
Concept Redesign · Product Reframing · UI Redesign
DURATION
6 Weeks
Focus
Brand Discovery, Visual Identity, High-Fidelity UI
Methods
UX Audit, Wireframes, UI Redesign, Design System, Framer Implementation
Outcome
Redesigned Brand Discovery Experience
Role
Product Designer
Project Type
Concept Redesign · Product Reframing · UI Redesign
DURATION
6 Weeks
Focus
Brand Discovery, Visual Identity, High-Fidelity UI
Methods
UX Audit, Wireframes, UI Redesign, Design System, Framer Implementation
Outcome
Redesigned Brand Discovery Experience
Why Redesign
The experience worked — but it didn’t guide brand decisions.
Brands.io made it easy to browse available domains, but it offered limited support for evaluating which name best fit a founder’s product, positioning, and brand direction.
Search-first experience
Users could browse domains, but the experience didn’t guide meaningful brand exploration.
Limited decision support
Choosing a name requires comparison, context, and confidence — which the current flow doesn’t provide.
Weak premium perception
The interface didn’t reflect the value and importance of high-priced domains.
Why Redesign
The experience worked — but it didn’t guide brand decisions.
Brands.io made it easy to browse available domains, but it offered limited support for evaluating which name best fit a founder’s product, positioning, and brand direction.
Search-first experience
Users could browse domains, but the experience didn’t guide meaningful brand exploration.
Limited decision support
Choosing a name requires comparison, context, and confidence — which the current flow doesn’t provide.
Weak premium perception
The interface didn’t reflect the value and importance of high-priced domains.
Why Redesign
The experience worked — but it didn’t guide brand decisions.
Brands.io made it easy to browse available domains, but it offered limited support for evaluating which name best fit a founder’s product, positioning, and brand direction.
Search-first experience
Users could browse domains, but the experience didn’t guide meaningful brand exploration.
Limited decision support
Choosing a name requires comparison, context, and confidence — which the current flow doesn’t provide.
Weak premium perception
The interface didn’t reflect the value and importance of high-priced domains.
Core Insight
Core Insight
The real problem wasn’t finding a domain — it was helping founders define a brand.
The real problem wasn’t finding a domain — it was helping founders define a brand.
A domain purchase is rarely just a transaction. For early-stage founders, it is often part of a larger identity decision — what the company should feel like, communicate, and become.
A domain purchase is rarely just a transaction. For early-stage founders, it is often part of a larger identity decision — what the company should feel like, communicate, and become.
Design Challenge
Design Challenge
How might we transform Brands.io from a transactional domain marketplace into a guided brand discovery experience for founders?
How might we transform Brands.io from a transactional domain marketplace into a guided brand discovery experience for founders?
How might we transform Brands.io from a transactional domain marketplace into a guided brand discovery experience for founders?
Product Direction
Product Direction
Reframing the experience around brand discovery.
To better support early-stage founders, the experience needed to do more than display inventory.
Reframing the experience around brand discovery.
To better support early-stage founders, the experience needed to do more than display inventory.
Guided Discovery
Help users move beyond random browsing and explore names with more intention.
Brand-Fit Evaluation
Support decisions with signals that help founders assess whether a name aligns with their product and positioning.
Higher-Confidence Decisions
Reduce friction and uncertainty by making the path from exploration to purchase feel more structured and trustworthy.
Guided Discovery
Help users move beyond random browsing and explore names with more intention.
Brand-Fit Evaluation
Support decisions with signals that help founders assess whether a name aligns with their product and positioning.
Higher-Confidence Decisions
Reduce friction and uncertainty by making the path from exploration to purchase feel more structured and trustworthy.
Experience Flow
From idea to identity — a guided naming journey
This redesigned experience reframes naming from a quick search task into a structured decision-making process.
It guides founders through exploration, comparison, and selection — helping them move from uncertainty to clarity.
Discover Ideas
Browse curated AI-powered domain suggestions to explore names that fit your startup
Refine Your Brand
Compare and shortlist names that align with your brand vision and identity.
Secure Your Domain
Purchase your domain and start building your brand.
Experience Flow
From idea to identity — a guided naming journey
This redesigned experience reframes naming from a quick search task into a structured decision-making process.
It guides founders through exploration, comparison, and selection — helping them move from uncertainty to clarity.
Discover Ideas
Browse curated AI-powered domain suggestions to explore names that fit your startup
Refine Your Brand
Compare and shortlist names that align with your brand vision and identity.
Secure Your Domain
Purchase your domain and start building your brand.
Experience Flow
From idea to identity — a guided naming journey
This redesigned experience reframes naming from a quick search task into a structured decision-making process.
It guides founders through exploration, comparison, and selection — helping them move from uncertainty to clarity.
Discover Ideas
Browse curated AI-powered domain suggestions to explore names that fit your startup
Refine Your Brand
Compare and shortlist names that align with your brand vision and identity.
Secure Your Domain
Purchase your domain and start building your brand.
Wireframes
Wireframes
Structuring the experience before the visual design
Before designing the final interface, I used wireframes to rethink the structure of the page. The goal was to make the experience feel less like browsing domain names and more like following a clear path toward a brand identity.
Understanding real grocery behavior — not assumptions.
Design System
Design System
Building the visual direction behind the redesign.
Understanding real grocery behavior — not assumptions.
Building the visual direction behind the redesign.
After the wireframes, I created a simple design system to make the product feel more clear, modern, and trustworthy.
I focused on typography, color, spacing, buttons, and reusable UI elements so the website could feel more like a guided brand discovery tool — not just a place to buy domain names.
Understanding real grocery behavior — not assumptions.
After the wireframes, I created a simple design system to make the product feel more clear, modern, and trustworthy.
I focused on typography, color, spacing, buttons, and reusable UI elements so the website could feel more like a guided brand discovery tool — not just a place to buy domain names.
Typogeraphy
Headline
Heading 1
Heading 1
Heading 1
Heading 2
Heading 2
Heading 2
Heading 3
Heading 3
Heading 3
Heading 4
Heading 4
Heading 4
Heading 5
Heading 5
Heading 5
Subtitle
Subtitle 1
Subtitle 1
Subtitle 1
Subtitle 2
Subtitle 2
Subtitle 2
Body
Body 1
Body 1
Body 1
Body 2
Body 2
Body 2
Text
Button
Button
Button
Caption
Caption
Caption
Over line
Over line
Over line
Colors
Colors
Primary
Secondary
Error
Gray
Gradient
Primary
Secondary
Error
Gray
Gradient
Shadows
Elevation 1
Hex:
#000000
Alpha:
2%
Shadow:
x=0
Y=1
B=1
S=1
Elevation 2
Hex:
#000000
Alpha:
4%
Shadow:
x=0
Y=1
B=4
S=0
Elevation 3
Hex:
#000000
Alpha:
4%
Shadow:
x=0
Y=2
B=20
S=0
Elevation 4
Hex:
#000000
Alpha:
6%
Shadow:
x=0
Y=8
B=20
S=0
Grid
Laptop
Cloumns=
12
12
Margin=
132
132
Gutter=
24
24
Phone
Cloumns=
Cloumns=
4
4
Margin=
Margin=
32
32
Gutter=
Gutter=
24
24
Before & After
Before & After
Keeping the core idea, but changing how the experience feels.
The original website was mainly focused on selling AI domain names.
In the redesign, I kept the same core service, but changed the way it was presented — from a domain marketplace into a more guided experience for founders who are trying to shape a brand identity.
Before
Before
After
Final UI
Final UI
A cleaner interface for moving from idea to identity.
For the final UI, I wanted the experience to feel simple, confident, and more memorable.
The new design guides users from searching for a name to understanding the brand direction behind it, with a softer visual style, clearer layout, and stronger sense of identity.
Understanding real grocery behavior — not assumptions.
