Growth & Strategy
Personas
SaaS & Startup
Time to ROI
Short-term (< 3 months)
Last year, I was brought in to help a B2B startup with what seemed like a simple task: rebrand their abandoned cart emails to match their new visual identity. New colors, new fonts, done. But as I opened their existing template—packed with product grids, discount codes, and aggressive "COMPLETE YOUR ORDER NOW" buttons—something felt fundamentally wrong.
This looked exactly like every other e-commerce store's email. Generic. Forgettable. The opposite of lovable.
Instead of just swapping colors, I completely reimagined the approach. I ditched the corporate template and created something that felt like a personal note from the business owner. The result? Email reply rates doubled, but more importantly, customers started actual conversations instead of just completing transactions.
This experience taught me that lovable branding isn't about following design best practices—it's about being memorably different when everyone else looks the same. Whether you're building a prototype app, launching an MVP, or scaling a product, the brands people fall in love with are the ones that dare to break the rules.
Here's what you'll learn from my experiments with contrarian branding:
Why "best practices" often lead to forgettable brands
The counterintuitive approach that doubled engagement rates
How to apply lovable branding principles to prototype apps
When breaking design rules actually improves conversions
A framework for creating memorable brand experiences at any stage
If you're tired of your product blending into the noise, this playbook will show you how to stand out by zigging when everyone else zags. Let's dive into the world of SaaS branding that actually sticks.
Industry Reality
What every startup founder has been taught
Walk into any startup accelerator or browse through any "How to Build Your Brand" guide, and you'll hear the same advice repeated like gospel. The conventional wisdom around branding for early-stage products follows a predictable playbook that sounds logical on paper.
The Standard Branding Checklist Everyone Follows:
Professional Polish First: Invest in clean, minimalist design that looks "trustworthy" and "corporate-ready"
Follow Industry Standards: Study your competitors and adopt similar visual languages so users feel comfortable
Consistency Above All: Maintain strict brand guidelines across every touchpoint, no matter how small
Appeal to Everyone: Create neutral messaging that won't offend or alienate potential users
Professional Copywriting: Use polished, corporate language that sounds "serious" and "established"
This advice exists because it feels safe. VCs like it because it looks "investable." Designers like it because it's clean and portfolio-worthy. Marketing teams like it because it's measurable and follows proven frameworks.
But here's the uncomfortable truth: This approach creates brands that are professional, polished, and completely forgettable. When everyone follows the same playbook, everything starts to look identical.
I've seen countless prototype apps and MVPs that nail the "professional" look but fail to create any emotional connection with users. They check all the branding boxes yet struggle to build passionate user bases. Users sign up, try the product once, and disappear—not because the product is bad, but because nothing about the experience was memorable enough to bring them back.
The real problem? Conventional branding wisdom optimizes for broad appeal instead of deep connection. It's designed to not offend rather than to genuinely delight. And in a world where users have infinite choices, being inoffensive is the fastest path to being ignored.
Consider me as your business complice.
7 years of freelance experience working with SaaS and Ecommerce brands.
The client was frustrated. Their beautifully designed e-commerce site was converting visitors at industry-standard rates, but something felt hollow about the entire customer experience. People would add items to cart, receive the standard abandoned cart sequence, and either convert or disappear forever. No middle ground. No relationship building. No brand love.
When they asked me to update their abandoned cart emails to match their new brand identity, I expected a simple template refresh. But the existing email stopped me in my tracks. It was exactly what every e-commerce "expert" would recommend: product images in a grid, a discount code prominently displayed, social proof testimonials, and an urgent "COMPLETE YOUR ORDER NOW" call-to-action.
Textbook perfect. And completely soulless.
My first instinct was to challenge the entire premise. Instead of making this email "better," what if we made it completely different? What if we treated it like a personal note from a friend rather than a corporate marketing message?
I pitched something that made my client uncomfortable: "What if we wrote this email like it's coming from you personally, addressing the real reason people abandon carts—not because they forgot, but because something made them hesitate?"
Through our conversations, I discovered the real friction point. Customers weren't abandoning because they changed their minds about the product. They were getting stuck on payment validation, especially with the new two-factor authentication requirements their bank had implemented. But instead of addressing this real problem, their email was trying to "persuade" people who were already convinced.
The approach I proposed broke every abandoned cart email "rule":
No product grid showcase
No discount code
No aggressive urgency tactics
No corporate branding
Instead, I created something that looked and felt like a personal newsletter. The subject line changed from "You forgot something!" to "You had started your order..." The content was written in first person, as if the business owner was personally reaching out to help solve a problem.
Here's my playbook
What I ended up doing and the results.
The email I designed became a template for what I now call "lovable branding"—an approach that prioritizes human connection over corporate polish. Here's the exact framework I developed through this experiment and subsequent client work.
The Lovable Branding Framework for Prototypes:
Step 1: Identify the Human Behind the Interaction
Instead of hiding behind corporate speak, we put a real person's voice front and center. In the abandoned cart email, every message was written as if the founder was personally reaching out. This immediately differentiated it from the automated, templated feeling of competitor emails.
Step 2: Address Real Problems, Not Imaginary Ones
Most abandoned cart emails assume people "forgot" about their purchase. But our research showed the real issue was technical friction during payment. So instead of trying to re-convince people who were already convinced, we included a simple 3-point troubleshooting guide:
"Payment authentication timing out? Try again with your bank app already open"
"Card declined? Double-check your billing ZIP code matches exactly"
"Still having issues? Just reply to this email—I'll help you personally"
Step 3: Invite Conversation, Not Just Conversion
The biggest shift was changing the goal from "complete your purchase" to "let's solve this together." This single change transformed a transactional interaction into a relationship-building opportunity.
Step 4: Design for Recognition, Not Perfection
I styled the email to look like content people actually want to read—more newsletter, less marketing email. This visual approach immediately signals that something different is happening, which increases engagement before anyone reads a word.
Step 5: Measure Relationship Metrics, Not Just Revenue
Instead of only tracking conversion rates, we started measuring email replies, customer service interactions, and repeat purchase behavior. The goal shifted from maximizing immediate revenue to building lasting customer relationships.
For prototype apps, this framework translates into:
Onboarding sequences that feel like personal tutorials rather than corporate training
Error messages that acknowledge frustration and offer genuine help
Feature announcements that explain the "why" behind changes like a friend sharing exciting news
Support interactions that prioritize understanding over efficiency
The key insight: lovable branding isn't about being different for the sake of standing out—it's about being genuinely helpful in ways your competitors aren't. When everyone is optimizing for conversion, you optimize for connection. When everyone is broadcasting, you start conversations.
Pattern Recognition
Most "unique" brands follow predictable patterns. Lovable brands create their own patterns that users learn to love.
Problem-First Design
Start with the actual user problem, not the problem you think they should have. Real frustrations create real connections.
Conversation Design
Every touchpoint should invite dialogue, not just drive action. Relationships beat transactions in the long run.
Measured Humanity
Track relationship metrics alongside revenue metrics. Both matter for sustainable growth.
The results spoke louder than any branding theory. Within two weeks of implementing the new approach, we saw fundamental changes in how customers interacted with the brand.
Immediate Impact:
Email reply rates doubled from 2% to 4%—customers started actually responding instead of just buying or ignoring
Customer service interactions increased 40%, but in a good way—people were asking questions and seeking help instead of abandoning silently
Repeat purchase rates improved 25% within three months as relationships developed beyond single transactions
Unexpected Outcomes:
The most surprising result wasn't in the metrics—it was in the quality of customer feedback. Instead of generic "great product" reviews, customers started sharing specific stories about how the personal touch made them feel valued. Several mentioned they chose to buy specifically because the email felt "real" compared to other brands.
More importantly, this approach gave the business owner a competitive moat that couldn't be easily copied. While competitors could replicate product features or pricing strategies, they couldn't replicate the authentic personality that customers had grown to love.
Long-term Brand Impact:
Six months later, the client reported that customer lifetime value had increased significantly, not just from repeat purchases but from referrals. Customers were actively recommending the brand to friends, often specifically mentioning the "personal touch" as a differentiator.
This taught me that lovable branding creates compound returns—the initial investment in relationship-building pays dividends through customer advocacy that no amount of paid advertising can buy.
What I've learned and the mistakes I've made.
Sharing so you don't make them.
After implementing lovable branding approaches across multiple client projects, several key lessons emerged that challenge conventional startup wisdom.
Top Lessons Learned:
Being memorable beats being perfect. Users forgive imperfections in brands they love, but they'll never forgive being boring.
Personality is more important than polish at the prototype stage. You can always refine the visual design later, but you can't retrofit personality into a bland brand.
Address real friction, not imaginary objections. Most branding efforts focus on persuasion when the real need is problem-solving.
Conversation beats conversion in early stages. Learning from customer feedback is more valuable than maximizing immediate revenue.
Your biggest risk isn't standing out—it's blending in. In a crowded market, being forgettable is the fastest path to failure.
Authenticity scales, but tactics don't. The specific approach might need to evolve, but genuine personality remains constant.
Relationship metrics predict long-term success better than conversion metrics. Engagement quality matters more than engagement quantity.
What I'd Do Differently:
I'd implement this approach even earlier in the product development cycle. Many startups wait until they have "enough users" to worry about branding, but lovable branding is most effective when it's built into the foundation rather than layered on top.
When This Works Best:
This approach thrives in competitive markets where functional differentiation is difficult. It's particularly effective for B2B tools, SaaS products, and any service where customer relationships matter more than one-time transactions.
When to Be Cautious:
Highly regulated industries or enterprise sales cycles might require more conservative approaches. However, even in these contexts, there's usually room for more personality than most brands dare to show.
How you can adapt this to your Business
My playbook, condensed for your use case.
For your SaaS / Startup
For SaaS startups looking to implement lovable branding:
Start with your onboarding emails - make them feel like personal tutorials rather than automated sequences
Rewrite your error messages with empathy and genuine helpfulness
Create feature announcements that explain the story behind new updates
Design support responses that prioritize understanding over efficiency
For your Ecommerce store
For ecommerce stores implementing lovable branding:
Transform abandoned cart emails into helpful problem-solving messages
Write product descriptions that tell stories rather than list features
Create post-purchase sequences that build relationships beyond the transaction
Design customer service touchpoints as opportunities for brand differentiation