blonde · 2024-2025
Designed a creator monetization platform from 0 to 1, across desktop and mobile
Blonde helped creators earn directly from fans through paid chats, cameos, bookings, and unlockable media. As co-founder and founding designer, I owned the product from IA to launch.
- Role
- Founding Designer
- Years
- 2024 - 2025
- Read
- 1 min read
Overview
Creators earn across a dozen disconnected tools: one for DMs, one for bookings, one for paid content. Blonde put all of it inside one space fans already wanted to be in.
Challange
01: How might we give creators five ways to earn without five separate setup flows?
02 : How might we make paid interactions feel natural instead of transactional?
My Role
Co-founder, founding designer
- Defined UX for Creator, Fan, and Admin sides of the platform
- Designed and maintained the internal design system
- Built onboarding flows, automation logic UI, and SMS experiences
- Developed Blonde’s visual identity and marketing site
- Collaborated on product roadmap, MVP launch, and iteration cycles
Solution
Blonde enables creators to bypass algorithms by directly messaging fans via SMS. Features like scheduled messages, personalized flows, and performance analytics make it a scalable, effective communication tool.
- Launched MVP in under 6 months
- Enabled creators to send automated SMS at scale
- Created scalable design system for 3 product sides
- Helped shape brand tone, UX flow, and monetization logic
Outcome
Blonde launched on desktop and mobile, but we couldn't attract enough creators to sustain it. The company shut down in 2025.
Takeaways
Validate supply before building for demand. In a two-sided marketplace, the scarce side decides everything.
Design is only part of the product. Great flows can't fix a go-to-market gap