Ship AI Studio
Ship AI Studio
Ship AI Studio
Taking a brand from hackathons to boardrooms
Taking a brand from hackathons to boardrooms
Taking a brand from hackathons to boardrooms
Santos Hernandez founded Ship AI, a Phoenix community of AI product builders and Desic, a firm that deploys AI inside financial services, private equity, and digital assets companies. As a new partner, I led the rebrand that brought Desic under the Ship AI name as Ship AI Studio.
The rebrand's goal was to earn the trust of PE operating partners and portfolio CFOs without losing the cool that made builders show up to Ship AI in the first place.
Santos Hernandez founded Ship AI, a Phoenix community of AI product builders and Desic, a firm that deploys AI inside financial services, private equity, and digital assets companies. As a new partner, I led the rebrand that brought Desic under the Ship AI name as Ship AI Studio.
The rebrand's goal was to earn the trust of PE operating partners and portfolio CFOs without losing the cool that made builders show up to Ship AI in the first place.
Santos Hernandez founded Ship AI, a Phoenix community of AI product builders and Desic, a firm that deploys AI inside financial services, private equity, and digital assets companies. As a new partner, I led the rebrand that brought Desic under the Ship AI name as Ship AI Studio.
The rebrand's goal was to earn the trust of PE operating partners and portfolio CFOs without losing the cool that made builders show up to Ship AI in the first place.
Process
Process
Process
A galaxy brand walks into a boardroom
A galaxy brand walks into a boardroom
Ship AI's original look (violet glow, cobalt, Geist, and a circuit node mark) was right for a community of cracked builders. To a PE operating partner, it looked like yet another AI automation agency.
I set the bar: look like a trusted heritage firm, but one that's ahead of the buyer's portfolio on AI. I benchmarked YC firms selling AI into private equity to see what earns that buyer's trust: square corners, serif authority, and monospace for evidence.
Ship AI's original look (violet glow, cobalt, Geist, and a circuit node mark) was right for a community of cracked builders. To a PE operating partner, it looked like yet another AI automation agency.
I set the bar: look like a trusted heritage firm, but one that's ahead of the buyer's portfolio on AI. I benchmarked YC firms selling AI into private equity to see what earns that buyer's trust: square corners, serif authority, and monospace for evidence.
Ship AI's original look (violet glow, cobalt, Geist, and a circuit node mark) was right for a community of cracked builders. To a PE operating partner, it looked like yet another AI automation agency.
I set the bar: look like a trusted heritage firm, but one that's ahead of the buyer's portfolio on AI. I benchmarked YC firms selling AI into private equity to see what earns that buyer's trust: square corners, serif authority, and monospace for evidence.
Approach
Approach
Approach
From the sea to the stars
From the sea to the stars
Santos leaned galactic, I leaned nautical. Instead of debating taste, I built a scale from 1 (extremely nautical) to 10 (a Starcraft battle cruiser), and we agreed PE and financial services buyers sit at 4.5-5.
In a four-day sprint, I built nine directions over 4 rounds, each with a working landing page with identical copy. The Ship AI Discord group split too: non-technical members backed nautical, technical builders backed galactic.
Santos leaned galactic, I leaned nautical. Instead of debating taste, I built a scale from 1 (extremely nautical) to 10 (a Starcraft battle cruiser), and we agreed PE and financial services buyers sit at 4.5-5.
In a four-day sprint, I built nine directions over 4 rounds, each with a working landing page with identical copy. The Ship AI Discord group split too: non-technical members backed nautical, technical builders backed galactic.
Santos leaned galactic, I leaned nautical. Instead of debating taste, I built a scale from 1 (extremely nautical) to 10 (a Starcraft battle cruiser), and we agreed PE and financial services buyers sit at 4.5-5.
In a four-day sprint, I built nine directions over 4 rounds, each with a working landing page with identical copy. The Ship AI Discord group split too: non-technical members backed nautical, technical builders backed galactic.
Engraved heritage, dithered future
Engraved heritage, dithered future
The winner, Star fix, fuses Engraved Instrument's banknote green, bone paper, and Besley serif with Twenty.com 's dither and ASCII rednering: heritage materials, but rendered like software.
Its idea is celestial navigation: fixing your position within a known margin of error, which is our one-week AI assessment, drawn. I documented this direction as an .md brand guide that designers and coding agents can easily follow.
The winner, Star fix, fuses Engraved Instrument's banknote green, bone paper, and Besley serif with Twenty.com 's dither and ASCII rednering: heritage materials, but rendered like software.
Its idea is celestial navigation: fixing your position within a known margin of error, which is our one-week AI assessment, drawn. I documented this direction as an .md brand guide that designers and coding agents can easily follow.
The winner, Star fix, fuses Engraved Instrument's banknote green, bone paper, and Besley serif with Twenty.com 's dither and ASCII rednering: heritage materials, but rendered like software.
Its idea is celestial navigation: fixing your position within a known margin of error, which is our one-week AI assessment, drawn. I documented this direction as an .md brand guide that designers and coding agents can easily follow.
Outcomes
Outcomes
Outcomes
4 days
for a successful rebrand
4 days
for a successful rebrand
Decisions were made quickly, turning a two-week brand sprint into a four-day affair. As of October 28th, 2026 - the new Ship AI brand is live for both www.shipai.club and www.shipaistudio.com.
The biggest takeaway from this project is that a shared scale turns a taste debate into a positioning decision. Once Santos and I could both say "4.5," we stopped arguing about spaceships and started talking about buyers.
Decisions were made quickly, turning a two-week brand sprint into a four-day affair. As of October 28th, 2026 - the new Ship AI brand is live for both www.shipai.club and www.shipaistudio.com.
The biggest takeaway from this project is that a shared scale turns a taste debate into a positioning decision. Once Santos and I could both say "4.5," we stopped arguing about spaceships and started talking about buyers.
Decisions were made quickly, turning a two-week brand sprint into a four-day affair. As of October 28th, 2026 - the new Ship AI brand is live for both www.shipai.club and www.shipaistudio.com.
The biggest takeaway from this project is that a shared scale turns a taste debate into a positioning decision. Once Santos and I could both say "4.5," we stopped arguing about spaceships and started talking about buyers.
Say hello
Let's talk
Let's talk
Let's talk
Looking for someone that can drive measurable outcomes, but also values clarity and craft? Get in touch.
Open to full-time roles and fractional assignments, remote or on-site.
Based in Phoenix, AZ - Able to relocate.
Looking for someone that can drive measurable outcomes, but also values clarity and craft? Get in touch.
Open to full-time roles and fractional assignments, remote or on-site.
Based in Phoenix, AZ - Able to relocate.
© 2026
© 2026