Building a Unified Brand System for an AI Creative Product
Makaron is an AI-powered photo and video editing application developed by Versa, an AI startup based in Shanghai, China.
Through AI-driven features such as intelligent cutout, background removal, and creative filters, Makaron enables users to create engaging visual content more easily. The product was designed for young creators, especially users who enjoy personal expression and social content creation.
In 2018, I joined Versa as a Chief Visual Designer and participated in building Makaron’s brand experience across digital products and offline touchpoints.
My responsibilities covered:
Brand visual system / Logo and identity applications / Key Visual design / App UI / Marketing campaigns / Event visuals / Merchandise
Challenge
As a fast-growing AI consumer product, Makaron needed to evolve beyond its early startup stage and establish a more consistent brand experience.
With rapid product iteration, marketing activities, and offline campaigns developing simultaneously, different brand touchpoints lacked a unified visual language.
The challenge was to create a scalable brand system that could:
Connect product experience with marketing communication / Appeal to a younger generation of users / Make AI technology feel approachable rather than technical and distant
The goal was to transform a technology-driven product into an engaging consumer brand experience.
Strategy
Through understanding the product positioning and target audience, we defined Makaron as:
A creative tool that makes AI-powered creation accessible to everyone.
The core users were young creators who valued:
Personal expression / Visual creativity / Social sharing / Fun and experimental experiences
Instead of emphasizing a cold technology aesthetic, the design strategy focused on creating a more approachable, playful, and expressive brand personality.
The strategy was built around three principles:
Establish a consistent and scalable visual system / Balance AI technology with human-centered design /
Maintain brand recognition across every touchpoint.
Design System
I contributed to developing a comprehensive visual system across Makaron’s product and communication ecosystem.
The design scope included:
Logo and identity system / Key Visual / App UI / Marketing campaigns / Digital content assets / Offline event visuals / Merchandise design
The system created consistency across product interfaces, marketing materials, and physical brand experiences, helping Makaron develop a stronger consumer-facing identity.
Brand Experience
Makaron was not designed to simply showcase AI technology. Its purpose was to help people create content more easily and naturally.
The brand experience focused on being:
Accessible / Playful / Creative / Human-centered
Through consistent expression across App UI, Key Visuals, campaigns, and merchandise, Makaron became a more approachable creative platform for everyday users.
Outcome
The project established a scalable brand foundation that connected product experience, marketing communication, and offline brand expression.
According to Apple’s official newsroom, Makaron expanded to 173 countries and regions, reaching nearly 8 million App Store downloads.
This project demonstrates how design can support an early-stage technology company—not only by creating visual identity, but by building a consistent brand experience that helps products grow and connect with users
Makaron（马卡龙玩图）是一款基于 AI 图像识别技术的图片与视频编辑应用，由上海 AI 创业公司 Versa 开发。产品通过智能抠图、去除路人、艺术滤镜等功能，帮助用户快速进行图片二次创作，并面向年轻内容创作者提供更轻松、有趣的创作体验。
2018 年，我加入 Versa 担任首席视觉设计师，参与 Makaron 品牌从产品到市场传播的整体视觉建设，负责建立线上产品与线下品牌之间统一的视觉语言。
我的工作覆盖：
品牌视觉系统 / Logo 及品牌延展 / Key Visual / App UI / 市场传播物料 / 活动视觉 / 品牌周边
商业挑战
作为一家快速成长中的 AI 消费产品公司，Makaron 在产品功能持续迭代的同时，需要解决品牌体验不一致的问题。早期创业阶段，产品、市场传播、活动以及线下物料往往随着业务发展快速产生，但缺少统一的品牌视觉体系。随着用户规模扩大以及全球市场拓展，Makaron 需要建立一套能够支持长期发展的品牌系统：
让 App 产品体验与品牌传播保持一致 / 建立符合年轻用户审美的视觉语言 / 让 AI 技术产品更加亲近用户，而不是产生距离感。
核心挑战是：如何将一个技术驱动型产品，转化为年轻用户愿意使用和分享的消费级品牌体验。
策略思考
通过对产品定位和目标用户的理解，我们将 Makaron 定位为：
让复杂 AI 技术成为每个人都可以轻松创造内容的工具。目标用户主要是年轻女性用户以及社交媒体内容创作者，他们关注：
个性表达 / 图片创作 / 社交分享 / 新鲜有趣的视觉体验
因此，品牌设计没有强调冰冷的科技感，而是通过更年轻、轻松、有创造力的视觉表达，降低 AI 产品的使用门槛。
设计策略围绕三个方向展开：
建立统一且可扩展的品牌视觉体系 / 平衡科技属性与年轻化用户体验 / 让品牌在不同触点保持一致识别
设计系统
围绕 Makaron 的品牌定位，我参与建立了一套覆盖产品与传播场景的视觉系统。
设计内容包括：
Logo 与品牌视觉规范 / Key Visual / App UI / 市场活动视觉 / 线上传播素材 / 线下活动空间视觉 / 品牌周边设计
通过统一的视觉规范，让产品界面、营销传播以及用户接触到的各种品牌触点形成完整体验。这套系统帮助 Makaron 从一个 AI 工具产品，逐渐建立具有年轻用户认知度的消费品牌形象。
品牌体验
Makaron 的核心价值并不是展示 AI 技术本身，而是帮助用户更简单、更自由地创造内容。
因此，整体品牌体验围绕：
易理解 / 有趣 / 轻松 / 富有创造力 展开
通过 App UI、KV、传播视觉以及周边设计的一致表达，让用户在第一次接触品牌时，就能够感受到产品的年轻化定位和创作属性。
项目价值
项目帮助 Makaron 建立了一套完整的品牌视觉基础，使产品、市场传播和用户体验在快速增长阶段保持统一。根据苹果官方公开资料，Makaron 后续覆盖 173 个国家和地区，App Store 下载量接近 800 万次。这一项目体现了设计在早期科技创业中的价值：不仅创造视觉识别，更通过系统化设计帮助产品建立用户认知，并支持品牌规模化发展。
Art director: Jake Zhou / Xiao ming
Designer: Jake Zhou / Xiao ming / Sherry / SS
Animation: Yang zhen
Year: 2018
Awards: Apple App Store Great Apps Made in Greater China App 2018
