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Solara SaaS Branding: One design system, two experiences: discovering Solara and learning to use it.

Solara SaaS Branding: One design system, two experiences: discovering Solara and learning to use it.

Solara SaaS Branding: One design system, two experiences: discovering Solara and learning to use it.

A connected redesign of Solara’s marketing site and documentation, helping developers understand the framework and find their way into it.

A connected redesign of Solara’s marketing site and documentation, helping developers understand the framework and find their way into it.

Solara had two problems in one product: a marketing site that undersold the framework, and a documentation portal that read as a wall of text. We treated them as two products on one design system, and monthly downloads rose 1,300% to 170,000 in six months.

Solara had two problems in one product: a marketing site that undersold the framework, and a documentation portal that read as a wall of text. We treated them as two products on one design system, and monthly downloads rose 1,300% to 170,000 in six months.

Solara had two problems in one product: a marketing site that undersold the framework, and a documentation portal that read as a wall of text. We treated them as two products on one design system, and monthly downloads rose 1,300% to 170,000 in six months.

Year

2024

Services

/

Branding & identity

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Web design

Category

/

Campaign

Duration

12 weeks

Figma Prototype ↗

Arca wordmark, dark navy
Arca wordmark, dark navy

Impact

Impact

increase in monthly downloads, reaching 170k a month

increase in monthly downloads, reaching 170k a month

increase in monthly downloads, reaching 170k a month

higher website conversion rate than before the redesign

higher website conversion rate than before the redesign

higher website conversion rate than before the redesign

monthly active users by Q4 2024

monthly active users by Q4 2024

monthly active users by Q4 2024

Arca Wealth homepage hero — the live site
Arca wordmark, off-white
Arca Wealth homepage hero — the live site
Arca wordmark, off-white

Solara's marketing site undersold the framework and its docs read as a wall of text. Rebuilt as two products on one system, monthly downloads reached 170,000.

Solara's marketing site undersold the framework and its docs read as a wall of text. Rebuilt as two products on one system, monthly downloads reached 170,000.

AethrDesign by Chevis Zhou: Premium Creative Web Design Agency. AI Web Design Partner.

Website showcase video

Website showcase video

Background

Background

My client contact:

Maarten Breddels

Maarten Breddels

An open-source framework whose site undersold it and whose docs read as a wall of text.

Solara had two problems slowing adoption. The marketing site didn't show enterprise evaluators how fast and scalable the framework is.

The documentation portal worked but intimidated: a dense wall of text that hid how easy the tool is to use. Solara needed a site that sells the idea and docs that help people build.

The working file: flows, components and documentation layouts designed side by side.

The working file: flows, components and documentation layouts designed side by side.

Arca's Growth Design Backlog in mid-August 2026, with the type audit and image-loading tickets in progress and two landing-page tickets shipped

A reference prototype with real breakpoints, so engineers implement the layout instead of interpreting a static mock.

A reference prototype with real breakpoints, so engineers implement the layout instead of interpreting a static mock.

The pod's Slack channel: the hero fix shared for review, a stakeholder flags a missing bullet in Framer, and it is fixed six minutes later

The marketing site on mobile, built around one promise: high-quality web apps in pure Python.

The marketing site on mobile, built around one promise: high-quality web apps in pure Python.

Execution overview

Execution overview

Two products, one design system.

We treated the marketing site and the documentation as two products sharing one system. The marketing side got custom Lottie animation and an interactive reference prototype, so an evaluator could see the framework's speed rather than read about it. The documentation went the other way: visual noise stripped out, information architecture rebuilt, so a developer finds an answer in seconds. One design system spans both, which is what keeps the move from evaluating to building from feeling like two companies.

The new interface removed the cost of learning the tool, not just the look of it. With the beta launch, monthly downloads reached 170,000.

The new interface removed the cost of learning the tool, not just the look of it. With the beta launch, monthly downloads reached 170,000.

Arca Wealth hero on a cold load, side by side at the same viewport: before, the image tears into a flat navy fill with the headline already showing; after, the hero appears complete

Referral traffic in October 2024: 96,231 visits from 137 referring sites.

Referral traffic in October 2024: 96,231 visits from 137 referring sites.

The 17 semantic text styles in Framer, applied to the live Arca homepage

An overview of the component library — 100+ atomic components, built as a living system rather than a set of marketing pages.

An overview of the component library — 100+ atomic components, built as a living system rather than a set of marketing pages.

Arca's review of the type branch, production on the left and staging on the right, with each difference logged as a task

What our client says

What our client says

I had the pleasure of working with Chevis at Solara for over a year, much of that time as his direct manager. Chevis is an excellent Product Designer who consistently met and exceeded expectations. He worked on various parts of the product, notably taking the initiative on the Home page and API documentation redesign. He effectively handled complex challenges and consistently delivered high-quality results. His strong understanding of user needs and his focus on impactful features rather than just flashy designs made him stand out. In Solara’s fast-paced startup environment, Chevis’s adaptability and eagerness to contribute wherever possible were invaluable. He was always willing to step up and take on new tasks, demonstrating a great capacity for learning and growth. Beyond his professional skills, Chevis brought positive energy and a collaborative spirit to the team, making him a joy to work with and fostering a positive work environment. I highly recommend Chevis. His exceptional design skills, strong work ethic, and positive attitude would be a valuable asset to any team.
I had the pleasure of working with Chevis at Solara for over a year, much of that time as his direct manager. Chevis is an excellent Product Designer who consistently met and exceeded expectations. He worked on various parts of the product, notably taking the initiative on the Home page and API documentation redesign. He effectively handled complex challenges and consistently delivered high-quality results. His strong understanding of user needs and his focus on impactful features rather than just flashy designs made him stand out. In Solara’s fast-paced startup environment, Chevis’s adaptability and eagerness to contribute wherever possible were invaluable. He was always willing to step up and take on new tasks, demonstrating a great capacity for learning and growth. Beyond his professional skills, Chevis brought positive energy and a collaborative spirit to the team, making him a joy to work with and fostering a positive work environment. I highly recommend Chevis. His exceptional design skills, strong work ethic, and positive attitude would be a valuable asset to any team.
I had the pleasure of working with Chevis at Solara for over a year, much of that time as his direct manager. Chevis is an excellent Product Designer who consistently met and exceeded expectations. He worked on various parts of the product, notably taking the initiative on the Home page and API documentation redesign. He effectively handled complex challenges and consistently delivered high-quality results. His strong understanding of user needs and his focus on impactful features rather than just flashy designs made him stand out. In Solara’s fast-paced startup environment, Chevis’s adaptability and eagerness to contribute wherever possible were invaluable. He was always willing to step up and take on new tasks, demonstrating a great capacity for learning and growth. Beyond his professional skills, Chevis brought positive energy and a collaborative spirit to the team, making him a joy to work with and fostering a positive work environment. I highly recommend Chevis. His exceptional design skills, strong work ethic, and positive attitude would be a valuable asset to any team.
I had the pleasure of working with Chevis at Solara for over a year, much of that time as his direct manager. Chevis is an excellent Product Designer who consistently met and exceeded expectations. He worked on various parts of the product, notably taking the initiative on the Home page and API documentation redesign. He effectively handled complex challenges and consistently delivered high-quality results. His strong understanding of user needs and his focus on impactful features rather than just flashy designs made him stand out. In Solara’s fast-paced startup environment, Chevis’s adaptability and eagerness to contribute wherever possible were invaluable. He was always willing to step up and take on new tasks, demonstrating a great capacity for learning and growth. Beyond his professional skills, Chevis brought positive energy and a collaborative spirit to the team, making him a joy to work with and fostering a positive work environment. I highly recommend Chevis. His exceptional design skills, strong work ethic, and positive attitude would be a valuable asset to any team.
Chevis Zhou, AethrDesign Premium Web Design Agency's AI Web Design Partner.

Maarten Breddels

Co-Founder, Solara

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