From software studio to the technology partner founders have been looking for
- Brand Strategy
- UI/UX
- Design System
- Client:
- Stiff Upper Lip (Internal)
- Sector:
- Software Development
- Scope:
- Website Design, Brand Strategy, UI/UX
- Year:
- 2026
A complete repositioning — new service architecture, a Victorian brand mythology, and an AI-powered lead funnel built from the inside out.
Challenge
When the business evolves faster than the brand, something has to give.
Stiff Upper Lip had been operating as a software development studio. The work was real, the clients were satisfied, and the team was technically capable. But the market was shifting. AI was rapidly commoditising the "build" layer of software, and a business that competed on development capability alone was exposing itself to a growing threat.
The old website reflected that old positioning — a handful of pages describing what the company could build, a Victorian gentleman illustration, and a "Request a Quote" button. There was nothing to explain the depth of strategic thinking behind the work, no narrative to justify a premium rate, and no mechanism to educate or capture a visitor who wasn't yet ready to buy.
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Challenge 01 The Positioning Trap
The "boutique software studio" label attracted clients looking for the cheapest capable builder — not the best strategic thinker. Premium rates require a positioning that justifies them.
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Challenge 02 No conversion architecture
Visitors arrived, read a few lines, and either contacted or left. There was no middle ground — no way to capture someone who was interested but not yet convinced.
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Challenge 03 AI services with no presence
AI integration had become a core offering, but the old site gave it no dedicated space or context. Visitors had no way to understand what practical AI implementation actually looked like.
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Challenge 04 Brand without a story
The Victorian identity was distinctive but unexplained — a name and an illustration, floating without context or narrative weight. Memorable branding needs lore, not just aesthetics.
Before
- Positioned as a boutique software development studio
- A few static pages describing services with minimal context
- Playful Victorian branding with no coherent narrative
- Single CTA: "Request a Quote" — purely transactional
- No differentiation from other dev shops
After
- Positioned as a strategy + AI implementation partner
- Full narrative website with service depth, lore, and proof
- Victorian Workshop world — characters, illustrations, brand story
- Automated conversion funnels: AI readiness assessment + strategy call
- AI Integration as a primary differentiator with its own built-out funnel
Diagnosis
Three problems requiring three different solutions
Andrew Smith, founder of Stiff Upper Lip, and Stefan Savic, brand and UX/UI designer, began with a clear-eyed assessment of what the business had become versus how it was presenting itself. The diagnosis wasn't flattering — but it was useful.
Three distinct problems were identified. They overlapped, but required different types of thinking to solve.
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Strategic problem
The positioning needed to shift from "we build things" to "we figure out what you need and then build it." This required restructuring the entire service architecture around client problems, not internal capabilities.
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Brand problem
The Victorian identity had potential — but potential isn't presence. The brand needed a complete world: characters, narrative, an internal logic that made the aesthetic feel inevitable rather than decorative.
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Conversion problem
The website needed to become a lead qualification engine, not a brochure. Visitors at different stages of readiness needed different paths — and the right touchpoints to move them forward.
BRAND STRATEGY
Building a world, not just a visual identity
The old brand had a name and an illustration. The new brand needed a mythology. Stefan Savic developed the concept of The Workshop — a parallel timeline rooted in Victorian craft, where intelligence has taken physical form, AI is observable and adjustable, and progress is driven by clarity rather than novelty.
These characters are not decorative. Each one represents a distinct mode of thinking — execution, analysis, refinement, disruption — and they appear throughout the website, in illustrations, and in brand materials to reinforce the narrative rather than interrupt it.
The result is a visual system that feels alive but disciplined. The Victorian engraving style, sepia tones, and steampunk mechanical forms provide the aesthetic signature. The modern typographic system — Crimson Pro paired with Manrope — provides the readability and precision a consultancy needs.
SERVICE ARCHITECTURE
Rebuilding the service structure around client problems
The old service structure was organised around what SUL does. The new structure is organised around what the client needs. Each service page now leads with the client's problem statement, not the company's capability list.
OLD STRUCTURE
Capability First
- Software Development
- CTO as a Service
- SaaS Product Development
- Pages: what we build
- CTA: "Request a Quote"
Each service page follows the same structure - client problem → SUL's approach → proof → CTA. The design system ensures this structure is consistent across every page, while the illustrations and character placements vary to give each page its own personality.
NEW STRUCTURE
Problem First
- Technology Strategy: "I don't know where to start"
- Software Design & Build: "I know what I need, make it real"
- AI Integration: "I want AI, but don't know how"
- Fractional CTO: "I need a tech team without hiring one"
- CTA: "Book a Strategy Call"
Implementation
A funnel that qualifies before the first call.
The most significant structural change in the new website is the introduction of automated conversion funnels. Where the old site offered one path — contact or leave — the new site creates multiple entry points based on visitor readiness.
The centrepiece is the AI Readiness Assessment: an 11-question scored tool that diagnoses a visitor's AI readiness across four domains, then delivers a personalised PDF report to their inbox. The report is genuinely useful on its own, which makes it a high-trust first touchpoint. The CTA at the end of the report is a strategy call — booked at the moment of highest engagement.
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Step 1
Website Visit
Problem-first hero with social proof. Visitor self-identifies their challenge.
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Step 2
AI Assessment
11-question scored quiz. Personalised to the visitor's business context.
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Step 3
PDF Report
Delivered by email. Domain scores, diagnosis, prioritised next steps.
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Step 4
Strategy Call
CTA at peak engagement. Lead arrives pre-qualified and informed.
This architecture changes the nature of the first call. Instead of a cold introduction, SUL receives a lead who has already engaged deeply with their own technology situation. The CRM captures the full scored assessment payload — so Andrew walks into every discovery call already knowing where the prospect's gaps are.
DESIGN SYSTEM
Victorian grit, modern precision
The design system had to solve a genuine tension: the brand's aesthetic language is rooted in Victorian engraving — sepia tones, mechanical forms, hatched illustrations. But the services it communicates are contemporary, technical, and strategic. The system needed to hold both.
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01 — Typography
Editorial Authority
Crimson Pro for display, Manrope for body. One for soul, one for function. Neither is a default — both were chosen for specific character.
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02 — Colour
Intentional Restraint
Four anchors: deep olive, beige, taupe, and gold. Gold signals CTAs and emphasis — nothing else. The constraint makes every use of it count.
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03 — Illustration
Narrative Weight
Each character corresponds to a specific type of work. Arthur on strategy. Clara on architecture. Tink on AI. The illustrations earn their space.
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04 — Layout
Structured Confidence
An 8pt grid. Generous whitespace, unambiguous hierarchy. The layout communicates the same thing the copy does: we think before we build.
The outcomes
A business that finally looks like what it is
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Positioning clarity
The brand now clearly communicates a thinking partner that executes — not a dev shop that dabbles in strategy. Every page earns that claim rather than asserting it.
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Brand narrative depth
The Workshop world — four characters, a complete visual lore, and an internally consistent aesthetic — gives the brand a story worth engaging with, not just a logo worth noticing.
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Conversion architecture
The AI Readiness Assessment funnel captures leads at the moment they're most engaged with their own problem — and delivers a personalised report before the first conversation happens.
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AI services differentiated
AI Integration now has its own dedicated page, funnel, and messaging that cuts through the hype — practical implementation, no demos. A visitor can immediately understand what this service actually does.
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Quality of first call
Leads who complete the AI assessment arrive with a completed diagnosis in hand. Discovery calls start with context, not introductions — changing the nature of the commercial conversation entirely.
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Scalable design system
The new design system supports ongoing evolution — new case studies, blog content, and service pages can be added without breaking the visual hierarchy or narrative logic.
The redesign delivered a complete repositioning — not just a visual refresh. Every structural and design decision compounds toward the same goal: a visitor should understand within ten seconds that SUL diagnoses before prescribing, and that a conversation with them will be worth their time.
