Virtual assistants in 2015 relied on visual interfaces and app-based experiences. Under After designed the conversational personality and brand identity for Keeper, an SMS-based memory assistant that needed to establish trust through text alone.
Keeper Virtual Assistant Brand Identity and Product Design
In 2015, Under After worked with Keeper on a design challenge that would become central to every AI product: how to create personality through text alone. The SMS-based assistant helped users remember important information, but the core design work centered on conversational personality development exploring tone, greeting protocols, response patterns, and emoji usage to establish trust and approachability without visual interface elements.
The project launched months before Facebook M Messenger and years before ChatGPT made conversational AI ubiquitous. Under After designed the brand identity and product experience during the concept phase, testing personality variations and defining the conversational framework that would shape every interaction. The SMS-first approach—no app installation required—created unique constraints that forced clarity around personality expression, making this early work in conversational design particularly relevant for companies building AI assistants today.
“Mark worked with us closely to hash out the txt-based digital assistant. He helped us with initial direction, designing/building our landing pages (in a unique format, since there is no app) and provided valuable input on the tone/brand of the product. Really enjoyed working with Mark and strongly recommend him!”
