Defining a brand, product experience, and design system for an early-stage FinTech startup.
Overview
Early-stage companies don’t just need a brand — they need a way for that brand to show up consistently across product and experience.
Quse is a FinTech startup focused on closing the gap between budgeting and banking. Many people create budgets but still struggle with overdraft fees and inconsistent savings. Quse approaches this differently, organizing money into “queues” based on what’s already committed and what’s available — synced directly with real bank accounts.
This project focused on defining the brand, designing the product experience, and building the system to support both.
Role
I partnered directly with the founder and developer as the sole product designer, leading:
Brand identity and visual direction
Product experience across web and mobile
Design system and UI library development
The work spanned from early definition through execution, with a focus on creating a cohesive system that could support both product and brand as the company grew.
Define
Clarifying the product and brand foundation
We started by aligning on the core idea behind Quse — bridging the disconnect between how people plan their money and how they actually spend it.
This included:
Defining the organizing concept of “queues”
Establishing how the product should communicate clarity, control, and trust
Aligning on a direction that could carry through both brand and product experience
Design
Shaping the experience and brand expression
The experience was designed to help users quickly understand their financial position and take action.
Key elements included:
A streamlined onboarding flow to capture user context and goals
A dashboard that clearly separates committed and available funds
Flexible transaction categorization to support evolving budgeting behavior
In parallel, I developed a visual identity that balanced the seriousness of financial tools with a sense of calm and approachability, ensuring the brand could extend naturally into the product experience.
Build
Creating the system and core product
The work extended beyond screens into a system that could be implemented and scaled.
This included:
A customized UI system built on top of Ant Design
Component and pattern definitions for both web and mobile
A marketing site and application entry point
I worked closely with development throughout to ensure the system translated cleanly into production.
Outcome
The result was a cohesive brand and product foundation that allowed Quse to launch quickly and continue evolving.
A clear and differentiated product experience
A scalable system supporting both design and development
A strong foundation for future features and partnerships
Since launch, the product has continued to grow, with additional features built on top of the system established in this phase.
Reflection
This project reflects the kind of work I enjoy most — partnering with early-stage teams to shape not just how something looks, but how it works and how it holds together over time.