# Clearly Design > Embedded design partner for SaaS founders: custom websites, AI-native design systems and working prototypes, on a 2-week Sprint or a monthly plan. > Website: https://clearly.design > Book a call: https://app.cal.com/clearlydesign/discovery > Machine-readable pricing: https://clearly.design/pricing.md > Guide for autonomous agents: https://clearly.design/AGENTS.md > Full URL index: https://clearly.design/sitemap.xml ## What We Do - Working prototypes: prototype-first discovery. Product decisions get tested in clickable React prototypes before anyone builds them. - AI-native design systems: tokens, specs, DESIGN.md and coding-agent skills, so AI coding tools build on brand. - Custom websites: designed and built in code (Next.js, Astro), or in Framer or Webflow when the team wants to edit visually. - Product design: UX strategy, audits, flows and interface design for SaaS and AI products. - Brand identity: naming, positioning, identity and guidelines. ## Who We Work With SaaS founders and product teams, typically early to growth stage. We specialize in 0-1 product development and helping technical teams ship faster with better design. ## How Engagements Work - Sprint ($3,750): two focused weeks on one initiative. The entry point, booked through a discovery call. Larger work is scoped as back-to-back Sprints. - Standard ($4,995/mo): one workstream at a time, async, weekly progress. - Advanced ($7,495/mo): two workstreams, check-ins as needed, engineering integration, custom React and Tailwind components. - Every plan: 24/7 access to Figma and source code, and you own the work (Figma files, code and docs are handed over). Monthly plans pause or cancel anytime, with a 14-day money-back guarantee. - You work with the founder, Francois Brill, directly. Progress shows within a couple of working days. ## How Clearly Compares Against the usual alternatives, on speed, judgment, range and commitment: - Freelancer: Speed strong (Fast on small tasks); Judgment mixed (Hit or miss); Range mixed (Usually one discipline); Commitment weak (You manage the work) - Traditional agency: Speed weak (Scoping and a proposal first); Judgment mixed (Varies by team); Range mixed (Wide, split across teams); Commitment weak (Contracts and change requests) - In-house hire: Speed weak (Months to hire and ramp up); Judgment strong (Deep context, over time); Range mixed (One person's range); Commitment weak (Salary, benefits, notice) - Clearly Design: Speed strong (Progress within days); Judgment strong (20+ years shipping product); Range strong (Product, web, systems and code); Commitment strong (Flat monthly, pause anytime) ## About - [About Clearly Design](https://clearly.design/about): Company entity page. Founder Francois Brill, who we serve, how engagements work. - [Pricing](https://clearly.design/pricing): Public offers only — Sprint $3,750, Standard $4,995/mo, Advanced $7,495/mo. --- ## Decision Guides Practical comparisons to help SaaS teams make better decisions about design, platforms, and hiring. - [AGENTS.md vs DESIGN.md vs SKILL.md: where your design rules go](https://clearly.design/resources/agents-md-vs-design-md-vs-skill-md): Which design rule goes in AGENTS.md, DESIGN.md or a SKILL.md? A sorting test, real design rules sorted, and how to keep one source of truth. - [Stop fixing AI UI one output at a time](https://clearly.design/resources/ai-brand-governance): Stop fixing AI UI one output at a time. Brand governance with a Taste Profile and AI-ready folder keeps Cursor and Claude Code UI on brand at the root. - [AI design subscription vs judgment partner](https://clearly.design/resources/ai-design-subscription-vs-judgment): AI design subscriptions clear tickets fast, but product work needs judgment on edge cases and systems. Compare AI queues with a prototype-first partner. - [Check AI-built UI before you test it with users](https://clearly.design/resources/ai-design-validation): AI can build a screen in minutes. Here's what to check before you put it in front of users: brand, states, accessibility and the flow itself. - [Claude Code design skills for design systems](https://clearly.design/resources/claude-code-design-skills): How to create Claude Code skills (SKILL.md) for design systems. Install our open design-system-scaffold skill and keep AI-generated UI on brand. - [Designing complex B2B SaaS: roles, permissions, admin and multi-tenant workflows](https://clearly.design/resources/complex-b2b-saas-design): How to design B2B SaaS for many roles: a role map first, permission-aware screens, admin settings, workspaces, approvals and audit logs people can read. - [When one custom tool pays for itself in a Sprint](https://clearly.design/resources/custom-software-to-automate-a-manual-process): A one-job custom tool can pay for itself in just over four months. What a $3,750 Sprint covers, when to start there, and when you need a bigger build. - [Dedicated designer vs embedded product partner](https://clearly.design/resources/dedicated-designer-vs-embedded-product-partner): Dedicated SaaS UI/UX designer vs embedded product partner: when ticket-directed capacity is enough, and when you need someone who owns scenarios and edge cases. - [Design Agency vs In-House Designer for SaaS](https://clearly.design/resources/design-agency-vs-in-house-designer-saas): Weighing a design agency against an in-house hire? There's a third option most SaaS founders don't know about. Here's how to think through the decision. - [Design-only vs design+build subscription](https://clearly.design/resources/design-build-subscription): Design-only vs design+build subscription: when prototypes are enough, and when your SaaS needs Framer, Webflow, or React shipped in the same retainer. - [Design engineer vs product designer: who should a startup hire?](https://clearly.design/resources/design-engineer-vs-product-designer): Design engineer or product designer for your first design hire? Which gap each fills, why AI coding tools blur the line, and the fractional option. - [DESIGN.md: the open format for keeping AI UI on brand](https://clearly.design/resources/design-md): DESIGN.md is an open format from Google Labs and Stitch: tokens in YAML, intent in Markdown. How to load it in Cursor and what Vercel built differently. - [Design partner for SaaS startups](https://clearly.design/resources/design-partner-for-saas): Looking for a design partner for your SaaS, not a request queue? Prototype-first embedded design, from a 2-week Sprint to monthly plans. - [Generate design specs from code (not from a blank Figma)](https://clearly.design/resources/design-specs-from-code): Extract DESIGN.md and a Taste Profile from an existing frontend. The workflow from code audit to AI-readable specs, without a greenfield rebuild. - [Design subscription vs agency for SaaS: queue, project, or embedded partner](https://clearly.design/resources/design-subscription-vs-design-agency-saas): A design subscription and a design agency buy different jobs. Name queue vs project vs embedded partner before you compare prices. - [Series A marketing site: agency, subscription, or in-house](https://clearly.design/resources/design-subscription-vs-hiring): Series A marketing site, no full design hire yet. Agency project, embedded subscription, or in-house. When each fits, with public Clearly pricing. - [Design system MCP server vs DESIGN.md: you need both, in layers](https://clearly.design/resources/design-system-mcp-vs-design-md): DESIGN.md holds your design system. An MCP delivers it, plus the UX practice it never covered, to every agent. How the two layers fit and who runs them. - [designgov.md: governance for AI agents](https://clearly.design/resources/designgov-md): designgov.md sits above DESIGN.md: accessibility tiers, multi-brand rules, and behavioral contracts that keep AI coding agents on-brand and safe. - [Design subscription alternatives for B2B SaaS product teams](https://clearly.design/resources/designjoy-alternatives-b2b-saas-product-teams): Compare embedded product design partners vs subscriptions vs hiring — and when Clearly's prototype-first model fits. - [DIY Design vs Hiring a Professional Designer for SaaS](https://clearly.design/resources/diy-design-vs-professional-designer-saas): Can you use Canva and DIY tools for your SaaS brand, or do you need a professional designer? An honest comparison for founders watching their budget. - [Can your marketing team edit the website with AI agents?](https://clearly.design/resources/edit-your-website-with-ai-agents): Yes, your marketing team can edit the website with Claude or Cursor. The setup that keeps design and SEO safe: git, a rules file, tokens, PR previews. - [Fixed-price vs retainer design pricing for SaaS](https://clearly.design/resources/fixed-price-vs-retainer-design-saas): Fixed-price or retainer? Here's the actual answer: a Clearly Sprint is $3,750 for two weeks, paid per sprint. This page shows you when each model fits. - [Framer or Custom for SaaS? Pick Your Marketing Site Path (2026)](https://clearly.design/resources/framer-vs-custom-development-saas): Framer vs custom development for SaaS marketing sites: when the builder wins, when Next.js + shared tokens win, and how Clearly helps after the choice. - [Framer to Webflow, Webflow to Framer, or Neither?](https://clearly.design/resources/framer-webflow-migration): Switching builders is a full rebuild. Here's what moves, what gets rebuilt, how to keep your rankings, and when a repo site beats a second builder. - [Freelance Designer vs Fractional Design Partner for SaaS](https://clearly.design/resources/freelance-designer-vs-fractional-design-partner): Freelance is easy to start. For ongoing SaaS design needs it often breaks down. When to use freelance vs a fractional design partner, and how to decide. - [What a GEO retainer buys for B2B SaaS (and what it should cost)](https://clearly.design/resources/geo-retainer-b2b-saas): GEO retainers bundle site work and off-site citations on one invoice. See what they cost, what moves the price, and how to separate the two jobs. - [Interaction design matters more than ever with AI products in production](https://clearly.design/resources/interaction-design-production-ai-systems): How to design AI features that hold up in production: designed states, tested system instructions, confirmation that matches the consequence, and recovery that never dead-ends. - [Keep your marketing site consistent with product UI (shared system, not identical screens)](https://clearly.design/resources/marketing-product-ui-consistency): Keep your marketing site consistent with product UI through a shared design system. Tokens and invariants stay shared, while density and scale can diverge. - [Modular design subscription or one embedded partner?](https://clearly.design/resources/modular-vs-embedded-design-subscription): Modular design subscriptions let you buy product, web and brand separately. Here's when that works for SaaS, and when one embedded partner fits better. - [Multi-product SaaS design retainer](https://clearly.design/resources/multi-product-saas-design-retainer): A multi-product SaaS portfolio needs a design retainer that keeps brand and product UI consistent across launches. Here's when Series B+ teams need one. - [Product design subscription for B2B SaaS (ownership, not a queue)](https://clearly.design/resources/product-design-subscription): A product design subscription for B2B SaaS should own whole features from rough intent to developer-ready flows, not just clear a request queue. - [Prototype-first design](https://clearly.design/resources/prototype-first): Static mockups ask you to imagine the product. Prototype-first design puts working interactions in front of your team, so decisions happen on evidence. - [What SaaS product design costs in 2026 (and what you actually get for it)](https://clearly.design/resources/saas-product-design-cost): What product design really costs a B2B SaaS team in 2026 (audits, MVPs, redesigns, ongoing work), and how Clearly prices Sprints and monthly plans. - [SaaS Website Template vs Custom Design](https://clearly.design/resources/saas-website-template-vs-custom-design): Should you use a template or invest in custom design for your SaaS website? An honest comparison based on stage, budget, and what actually drives conversions. - [Enterprise creative retainer alternatives for product design](https://clearly.design/resources/superside-alternatives-product-design): When an enterprise creative retainer can't own your SaaS product, and how to pick an embedded design partner. - [Best visual web builder for marketing teams](https://clearly.design/resources/visual-web-builder-marketing-teams): Choose a visual web builder for marketing teams without defaulting to Webflow or AI codegen you can't own. A decision guide for CMOs and marketing ops. - [From Framer to Next.js (Webflow, WordPress, and Ghost Too)](https://clearly.design/resources/webflow-framer-wordpress-to-custom): I migrate marketing sites from Framer to Next.js, and from Webflow, WordPress and Ghost too. URLs, forms and analytics stay intact. - [Framer vs Webflow for SaaS marketing sites: who edits after launch](https://clearly.design/resources/webflow-vs-framer-saas-marketing-site): Framer vs Webflow for a SaaS marketing site: Framer if design owns edits, Webflow if marketing ops and the CMS do, custom when it must match product. - [When to Invest in a Design System for Your SaaS](https://clearly.design/resources/when-to-invest-in-design-system-saas): Is it too early for a design system? Too late? Here's how to know when a design system becomes a strategic investment vs. premature optimization for your SaaS. - [When to Redesign a SaaS Product (and When to Iterate)](https://clearly.design/resources/when-to-redesign-saas-product): How to tell if your SaaS product needs a redesign or steady iteration, what to map before you commit, and how to redesign one slice at a time. - [When to Redesign Your SaaS Website (And When to Wait)](https://clearly.design/resources/when-to-redesign-your-saas-website): Most SaaS companies redesign at the wrong time. When your site is costing you deals vs when the real constraint is upstream of design. --- ## Solutions (project pages) - [Who designs the approval, undo, and handoff around your AI agent?](https://clearly.design/projects/ai-agent-ux) — Discovery to path - [The 2-week design and development partner Sprint](https://clearly.design/projects/design-partner-sprint) — 2 weeks, one initiative - [A senior design partner until your first designer starts](https://clearly.design/projects/design-partner-until-you-hire) — Sprint, then monthly - [Design system audit for messy libraries](https://clearly.design/projects/design-system-audit) — Discovery to path - [Ship fast with AI. Get consistent design without slowing down.](https://clearly.design/projects/design-systems-ai) — 2-4 weeks - [Internal tools and business portals, designed before they're built](https://clearly.design/projects/internal-tools-business-portals) — 3-6 weeks - [Stop paying for 80% of software that you don't need](https://clearly.design/projects/internal-tools-replacement) — 2-6 weeks - [You found product-market fit. Now you need code that scales.](https://clearly.design/projects/mvp-rebuild) — 4-6 weeks - [Pre-redesign audit](https://clearly.design/projects/pre-redesign-audit) — Discovery to path - [Launch Videos That Actually Explain Your Product](https://clearly.design/projects/product-launch-videos) — 4 weeks - [Your Product Works. Now Make It Look Like It.](https://clearly.design/projects/product-redesigns) — 4-6 weeks - [Built it with Lovable, Cursor, Bolt or v0? Make it look like a real product, without a rewrite](https://clearly.design/projects/vibe-coded-app-redesign) - [Time to Rebuild Your Website the Right Way](https://clearly.design/projects/website-redesigns) — 3-6 weeks --- ## Case Studies - [Candidate Portal: Transforming Recruitment with a UX-First Platform](https://clearly.design/case-studies/cas-candidate-portal) — Cloud Accountant Staffing - [Two Years of Product Design for Hey Rosie: From a Blank Canvas to a Design System](https://clearly.design/case-studies/heyrosie-product) — Hey Rosie - [Designing the Test Call for Hey Rosie: Onboarding Built Around the Moment Rosie Answers](https://clearly.design/case-studies/heyrosie-test-call) — Hey Rosie - [Hey Rosie's Website: Making a Missed Call the Whole Story](https://clearly.design/case-studies/heyrosie-website) — Hey Rosie - [Modernizing an Established Property CRM with AI, One Working Prototype at a Time](https://clearly.design/case-studies/nekst-crm-ai-redesign) — Nekst.com - [Building Nekst Directory: A Two-Sided Marketplace MVP for Real Estate Professionals](https://clearly.design/case-studies/nekst-directory) — Nekst.com - [Creating ScribeKit: From $10K+ in SaaS Costs to Under $2 per Project](https://clearly.design/case-studies/scribekit-podcast-transcription) — Podcast Production Agency - [Designing Live Q&A for Suggestion Ox: A New Feature That Had to Feel Native](https://clearly.design/case-studies/suggestionox-live-qa) — Suggestion Ox - [TeamUp's Website: Rebuilt for Content, SEO and AI Agents in One Sprint](https://clearly.design/case-studies/teamup-website-migration) — TeamUp - [Designing Budgets for Wealthstack: Bringing Monthly Cashflow into a Long-Term Planning Tool](https://clearly.design/case-studies/wealthstack-budgets) — Wealthstack --- ## Open Source Tooling we've published that backs our methodology. Useful for engineers and AI agents working alongside Clearly Design's design systems. - [design-skills](https://github.com/clearlydesign/design-skills) - Claude Code skills for design teams. Includes `design-system-scaffold` (audits any frontend project and scaffolds an AI-ready design system in place, non-destructive, supports Vue/Nuxt, React/Next, framework-agnostic). MIT licensed. --- ## Articles ### Designing for AI Series hub: https://clearly.design/series/designing-for-ai AI products require fundamentally different design thinking. This series covers the patterns, principles, and practices for building AI-powered experiences that users actually trust and enjoy. - [Why AI products fail on UX, not the model](https://clearly.design/articles/ai-design-1-why-ai-products-fail-and-how-better-design-saves-them) - [Advanced AI Patterns: Personalization, Learning, and Adaptive Systems](https://clearly.design/articles/ai-design-10-advanced-ai-patterns) - [Implementing AI Design Systems: Components, Guidelines, and Team Processes](https://clearly.design/articles/ai-design-11-implementing-ai-design-systems) - [The Future of Human-AI Collaboration: Emerging Trends and Design Implications](https://clearly.design/articles/ai-design-12-future-of-human-ai-collaboration) - [How to Design User Experiences That Make AI Feel Human](https://clearly.design/articles/ai-design-2-how-to-design-user-experiences-that-makes-ai-feel-human) - [Building trust in AI systems: UX patterns that make outputs believable](https://clearly.design/articles/ai-design-3-building-trust-in-ai-systems) - [Designing for AI failures: error states, recovery, and trust when the model is wrong (2026)](https://clearly.design/articles/ai-design-4-designing-for-ai-failures) - [How to Turn AI into a Co-pilot, Not a Black Box](https://clearly.design/articles/ai-design-5-how-to-turn-ai-into-a-co-pilot-not-a-black-box) - [Designing Conversational AI: Beyond the Chatbot Paradigm](https://clearly.design/articles/ai-design-6-designing-conversational-ai) - [AI in Traditional Interfaces: Beyond Chat Bubbles](https://clearly.design/articles/ai-design-7-ai-in-traditional-interfaces) - [Testing & Iterating AI Features: Beyond Traditional UX Methods](https://clearly.design/articles/ai-design-8-testing-and-iterating-ai-features) - [Multi-Modal AI Experiences: Designing Beyond Text](https://clearly.design/articles/ai-design-9-multi-modal-ai-experiences) ### AI-Ready Design Systems Series hub: https://clearly.design/series/ai-ready-design-systems An AI-ready design system is the source of truth AI coding tools read every session: tokens, specs, and docs, not a new component library to install. - [AI-ready design systems: structure tokens, specs, and docs so AI stays on-brand](https://clearly.design/articles/ai-ready-ds-1-how-we-structure-design-systems-for-ai) - [How to structure a design system in five tiers (tokens → skills)](https://clearly.design/articles/ai-ready-ds-2-five-tier-design-system-structure) - [How to audit a design system before you rebuild (or feed it to AI)](https://clearly.design/articles/ai-ready-ds-3-design-system-audit) - [Tailwind v4 semantic design tokens + WCAG contrast for Next.js (2026)](https://clearly.design/articles/ai-ready-ds-4-design-tokens-tailwind-v4) - [Component specifications AI tools can implement without guessing](https://clearly.design/articles/ai-ready-ds-5-component-specs-for-ai) - [When design system tokens and live code disagree: how to reconcile](https://clearly.design/articles/ai-ready-ds-6-design-system-code-disagree) - [Create a Claude Code skill for your design system (tokens + Taste Profile)](https://clearly.design/articles/ai-ready-ds-7-claude-code-skill) ### Branding is your product's personality Series hub: https://clearly.design/series/branding-is-product Branding has shifted from a marketing tactic to a product decision. When you're building fast, branding feels like something you can postpone. But users don't experience “later.” They experience the product exactly as it shows up today. Brand is a product's personality that makes someone coming back for more or forgetting you, and your product team is responsilble for shaping that experience. - [Branding is a product decision, not a marketing layer](https://clearly.design/articles/branding-1-branding-is-a-product-decision) - [Defining product identity early is cheaper than fixing it later](https://clearly.design/articles/branding-2-defining-product-identity-early) - [How feature growth quietly separates products from their identity](https://clearly.design/articles/branding-3-feature-drift) - [Consistency is how unknown products earn trust](https://clearly.design/articles/branding-4-consistency-is-how-you-earn-trust) - [Differentiation comes from clarity, not novelty](https://clearly.design/articles/branding-5-differentiation-through-clarity) - [Why speed comes from constraints, not options](https://clearly.design/articles/branding-6-speed-comes-from-constraints) - [Why brand clarity turns speed into something durable](https://clearly.design/articles/branding-7-brand-clarity-turns-speed-into-something-durable) - [Scale breaks products that don't know what they are](https://clearly.design/articles/branding-8-scale-breaks-products-with-no-clarity) ### The New Craft Series hub: https://clearly.design/series/the-new-craft As AI tools make professional-looking design accessible to everyone, craft becomes the differentiator. This series explores how real design craft evolves in an AI-driven world, and how to spot the difference between commodity and craft. - [Everyone has the same AI tools. That's exactly why craft matters more](https://clearly.design/articles/craft-1-why-craft-matters-more-in-ai-world) - [Design isn't the deliverable: It's the hidden work that makes products succeed](https://clearly.design/articles/craft-2-the-hidden-work-make-products-succeed) - [Standing out when everyone has the same tools](https://clearly.design/articles/craft-3-standing-out-when-everyone-has-the-same-tools) - [My actual AI workflow after 22 years in design](https://clearly.design/articles/craft-4-my-actual-ai-workflow) - [The multiplication effect: Why AI-augmented teams beat AI-augmented individuals](https://clearly.design/articles/craft-5-the-multiplication-effect-in-the-new-craft) - [The craft test: Questions that reveal whether you're getting real design or AI commodity](https://clearly.design/articles/craft-6-the-new-craft-test-real-or-commodity) ### The Judgment Layer Series hub: https://clearly.design/series/the-judgment-layer As AI collapses the cost of execution, the most valuable thing a product team can have isn't faster output, it's clearer judgment about what to build and why. Crafting this first helps you move at the speed of thought when executing. - [The Execution Collapse](https://clearly.design/articles/judgment-layer-1-the-execution-collapse) - [The Three Roles Are Becoming One (And That's a Problem)](https://clearly.design/articles/judgment-layer-1-the-roles-are-converging)