On Designing from AI Artifacts
Claude, it turns out, loves numbered eyebrow labels. Some thoughts on how clients’ AI-assisted wireframes and mockups are impacting how we design finished websites.
In this house, we believe in websites.
A website is the one piece of your digital presence you fully control—not subject to an algorithm, not rented from a platform, not dependent on someone else’s business model. And thanks to the open web, a well-built site for a growing company can be just as fast, accessible, and effective as anything a Fortune 500 puts out.
The web should make growing your business easier. Instead, most teams are stuck between bad options: drag-and-drop site builders that can’t keep up, or enterprise systems that eat your budget alive. And fast-growing companies tend to find themselves navigating this messy middle at the worst possible times, when opportunity is knocking and it turns out their websites aren’t up for the challenge.
I started Bits&Letters to change that. I’ve been building for the web since 1995, including design systems at Google and Stripe and the web platform at Adobe; making great websites is my life’s work.
At B&L, our mission is to help companies who see their website differently, as infrastructure worth investing in and getting right. We’re here to help you launch great websites that are assets—not a pain in the ass—for years to come.
About
Bits&Letters is led by David Demaree — engineer, designer, product leader, and typography nerd. He's shaped platforms at Google, Adobe, Stripe, and Webflow; written a book (Git for Humans); and spoken around the world. His obsession is building websites and systems that last.
Previously at
Trusted by some of the world's best clients
Featured work
Stripe
How Stripe City's Billboards Made Real-Time Data Feel Alive
How we built a system that processed 2.3 million API calls over 96 hours without a single failure.
Copytree
How a crisp website redesign kicked off a new chapter for Copytree
A new site built for years of intentional growth, with near-perfect Core Web Vitals and a CMS the team actually uses.
What clients say
B&L helped us scale from our day-one build to a site that runs like it’s backed by a full design team. They gave us the systems, structure, and speed to keep up with growth—without adding overhead.
I needed to mobilize a website in just a few weeks to get my business off the ground. David took the time to really understand me, my vibe, and delivered something professional that didn’t feel like a cookie-cutter template. He was easy to hop on the phone with, brought a ton of expertise, and even set me up with metrics reports — which I’ve found really helpful. Working with David saved me time and gave me a site I’m proud to share as I work to grow my business.
When you've outgrown Squarespace but you're not ready for a $500K enterprise solution, the options get confusing fast.
How we work
We cut through the noise by focusing on what matters for your business: custom-built sites on modern infrastructure, content systems your team will actually enjoy using, and architecture designed to last — not just to launch.
- 01
Discovery
Get the plan right before you commit.
Before anything gets built, we dig into the content, audiences, and systems you already have. You walk away with an architecture plan and roadmap you can actually act on — not another slide deck.
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Stakeholder and user interviews -
Content audit and model sketch -
Technical and integration assessment
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- 02
Design sprint
Prove the direction in the browser.
A focused run at the visual direction, content model, and page system. Instead of reviewing static mockups, you click through a working prototype with real content and make confident calls early.
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Design system foundations and key templates -
Interactive prototype with real content -
CMS editing experience mapped out
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- 03
Iterative build & review
Ship in pieces, not on one big reveal day.
Weekly cadence, live staging, real content from week one. We release pieces of the site as they come together so your team stays close to the work and can steer it before anything's locked in.
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Weekly demo and shared project board -
Live staging with production data -
Performance, SEO, and accessibility baked in
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- 04
Launch, train, and ongoing support
A site that keeps working after launch day.
Launch is the beginning, not the end. We roll out with a tuned infrastructure setup, train your team on the CMS, and stay close to fix bugs and refine with real-world data.
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Thirty days of post-launch support -
Team training and editorial documentation -
Retainer engagements for continued partnership
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Working with B&L
Clarity
Clarity over clutter.
Simple structures, clean systems, and straight talk. We optimize everything around your content, your team, and your business.
Craft
Craft with purpose.
Every detail serves a function. We make things that are beautiful because they work — not the other way around.
Longevity
Future-proof by design.
What we ship today shouldn't trap you tomorrow. Our systems are built to be extended, refactored, and handed off cleanly.
Trust
Built for trust.
Performance, accessibility, and security aren't add-ons — they're the baseline for every site we ship.
Ideas
Writing about design, craft, and the web we want.
What does it mean for websites to 'scale'?
What separates big, lasting websites from all the rest? Performance, reach, and flexibility so your team can adapt to whatever users need.
Train your AI like a dog
LLMs aren't thinking machines—they're pattern-following machines. Treat them like trained animals, not virtual coworkers, and you'll get better results.