GROTESKS

Grotesks is a template studio for Framer creators, offering clean, modern website templates built for speed and style. As their collection grew, they needed a brand and site refresh that showcased their products clearly while reflecting the creativity of their growing community.

Role

08.25

Focus

Branding

Product

12 weeks

Timeline

0→1 exploration through early launch

Live project

Preview

Grotesks existing site felt too product-heavy and lacked the personality and simplicity needed to stand out in a crowded template market. Visitors struggled to quickly grasp the value of the templates or browse collections in a way that felt easy, inspiring, and intuitive.

This work introduced an AI-first, manual-editing-secondary philosophy, shifting Express from a tool users operate into a system that actively helps them create. The AI Assistant became a connective layer that aligned teams around a shared creative foundation.

( CONTEXT )

Creators often struggle with getting started and navigation

The User Problem

Adobe Express had grown into a powerful, multi-surface creation tool, but complexity was increasing:

Users needed to know which tool to start with

Manual workflows assumed product expertise

AI features were emerging, but in fragmented, tool-centric ways

The Organizational Problem

Without a unifying system, AI risked increasing fragmentation rather than simplifying creation

AI was often treated as an add-on feature, not a first-class workflow

Teams designed independently, optimizing for their own surfaces

There was no shared mental model for how AI should guide creation

Goals

User Goals

Help users move from idea → output faster

Support creative exploration without replacing authorship

Reduce friction for new and returning creators

Platform Goals

Establish a scalable AI contribution model for Express

Create a foundation that could expand across tools, media types, and partners

Ensure brand-safe, responsible AI usage at scale

( APPROACH )

AI-First, Manual Control
Secondary

Product Shift

AI-First, Manual Control
Secondary

I helped define and socialize a core product principle:

Strategy

Organizational Implications

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No items found.

( OUTCOMES )