A Toronto tile retailer hired me to name and brand its new AI assistant. I carried the brand all the way through: how TILO greets shoppers on the website, how its results read, and how the team measures it.
Source: the TILO admin panel I designed (match count from June 2026; run time from October 2026) and the final delivery report.
The contract asked for a product name and a logo, plus advice on UX. TILO needed more than a mark: a voice on the website, a way into photo matching, results that sell, and a place to see if it works.
The icon fuses a robot head and a chat bubble into one shape, so it says "you can talk here" at a glance. Rounded edges, expressive eyes and open arms make it approachable; a tile on the antenna ties it to the store. The name sounds like a person: "Hey, ask Tilo!"
483224 px
From the 7-page TILO brand guidelines I delivered: concept, construction, color, mono versions, sizes 24–256 px and usage.
I presented design progress at every weekly client review. Each step built on the last.
TILO, a friendly helper, and TILBY, an expert advisor. Each came with a name, mark and previews in the chat and website so the client could judge it in context.
"A lively robot incorporating tile elements, captured both the personality of TILO and our brand identity."DANNI WANG, CLIENT
With the agreement signed, I turned the mark into a brand system (above) and designed the first touchpoint: a light "Need Help?" tooltip that invites shoppers into chat without interrupting them.
At the client's request I moved photo matching into the search bar with the new TILO camera icon. Then I tested the build as a shopper and redesigned the result card: larger square images, match badges, price first, View Product as the main action. Seven of my recommendations entered the official requirements list.
Not in the brief. I proposed and designed the admin panel: an overview landing page, chat history with confidence and ratings, two-level navigation, and month-over-month comparisons.
Brand assets handed over: light and dark logo files, UI icons, tooltip assets and the 7-page guidelines. The TILO camera now sits in the site's search bar, and the TILO chat button greets every visitor.
I didn't stop at the logo. The same thread runs from the first concept to the dashboard the client uses to judge TILO every day.
She translated AI technology into a brand experience that felt natural and consistent with The Tile Shoppe. We loved the result. Beyond the visual design, Serena consistently made thoughtful recommendations that improved the overall product experience.
Danni Wang, Operations Manager, The Tile Shoppe · LinkedIn recommendation, August 2026
People remember TILO through the camera in the search bar, the tooltip that says hello and one orange language across the results.
Two genuinely different directions, shown in real screens, let a non-design client decide quickly.
Weekly reviews and a shared requirements tracker brought Tencent-scale product habits to a three-person team.