I Wanted the Homepage to Feel Magical, Not Like Another SaaS Landing Page
When I started designing WonderBook's homepage, I didn't want it to look like a tech product. You know, the usual "Hero image + three feature boxes + 'Start Your Free Trial' in aggressive orange" formula that every SaaS site has used since 2015.
I wanted it to feel like an invitation, something soft, imaginative, and enough for people to picture their own stories inside it.
Designing calm magic
The challenge was balance. It needed to feel magical without becoming noisy, and simple without feeling plain.
I worked around one question: how do you make something feel alive, but not loud?
The palette came first. Deep violet for warmth and focus. Soft gradients to carry the eye gently down the page. The colours are rich enough to feel enchanted, but dark enough to create calm.
Typography followed the same logic, large, clear headings to hold emotion, paired with smaller, conversational body text. I wanted it to read like a friend explaining, not a brand announcing.
The psychology of focus
The layout is built around one linear path: Choose → Watch → Create. Each element leads to the next, reducing cognitive load through rhythm rather than complexity.
At the top, users pick a story style. Immediately after, they see a video that shows what’s possible. Then a single action button: Create Your Story. Every choice narrows the funnel and deepens intention.
Nothing on the screen competes for attention. Even the CTA repeats the same language, “Create your story”, to build pattern recognition and ease.
Spacing does half the work. Wide margins create visual breathing room, which makes the text feel lighter. I didn’t want users to feel like they were reading marketing copy; I wanted them to feel a sense of permission.
Storytelling in layout
The page is structured like a story. It opens with wonder, builds trust, and ends with belonging.
- Curiosity: The hero section introduces the idea of magical storybooks.
- Belief: The “See a WonderBook in Action” video turns imagination into something real.
- Action: The CTA encourages users to start.
- Reward: Below that, the gallery shows examples, proof that people like them have done it.
- Resolution: Testimonials close the loop, grounding the fantasy in real voices.
It’s the same emotional arc as the stories people create inside WonderBook.
Visualising empathy
Every design choice points back to one emotion: love. Not romance, but familial, enduring love, the kind you want to hold onto.
That’s why the product mockups are framed like keepsakes rather than thumbnails. They look touchable, personal, slightly nostalgic. The subtle glow behind the covers adds warmth without distraction.
Even the call to action, “Create Your Story,” carries double meaning. It’s both literal and reflective. You’re not just creating a book, you’re shaping a memory.
The copy as part of the design
I spent time rewriting lines until they felt human. No sales pitch, no clever wordplay, just warmth and trust. Phrases like "Jump in, it only takes a minute" or "Stories built from love, shared with family" set the tone for everything that follows.
The copy isn't trying to persuade. It's trying to reassure. Which is harder than it sounds when every marketing blog tells you to "create urgency" and "leverage FOMO."
Designing for emotion, not conversion
I've built enough landing pages to know that metrics matter. But this page wasn't about aggressive optimisation. It was about belonging. Hard to A/B test "does this make you think of your grandkid?" but that was the goal.
I wanted someone to land here and think, this feels safe. If they smiled, slowed down, or imagined the face of someone they loved, then the design had already done its job.
What I learned
Calm isn’t empty space. It’s clarity with purpose. Magic isn’t animation or sparkle. It’s emotional timing. A page doesn’t need to shout to inspire action. It needs to give people space to believe in what they can create.
WonderBook’s homepage became a reflection of that philosophy. Intentional. Human.
Design isn’t just how a product looks. It’s how it makes people feel capable of creating something of their own.