Building Remora

Remora is the website-building system used by Manta Ray Media to create websites for charities, research organisations and global health projects. As the system grew, it became increasingly complex and the websites created through it were beginning to feel too similar.

I helped rethink the design foundations, improve the editing experience and introduce a more flexible system using Figma variables and reusable components.

The challenge

As Remora grew, new features and options were added over time. This made the editor more powerful, but it also made the experience increasingly difficult to navigate.

At the same time, websites were beginning to look too similar. Reusing the same foundations helped the team work efficiently, but it limited the amount of flexibility available when creating a distinctive design for each client.

The challenge was to simplify the system without losing the speed and consistency that made it valuable.

My role

I worked closely with developers and project managers to rethink how Remora websites were designed and built.

My role included:

Identifying where the existing system had become restrictive or overly complex
Simplifying the design foundations
Creating a more flexible approach to colour, typography and components
Building Figma variables and reusable UI elements
Testing the system through a base website
Creating moodboards and applying client branding to the new framework
Reviewing the final implementation and refining the experience

Simplifying the foundations

The first step was to reduce unnecessary complexity.

I reviewed the existing colour system and simplified the number of palettes from five to three. This made the structure easier to manage while still allowing enough flexibility to create distinctive client websites.

I also prioritised the components and variations that were most useful in real projects, focusing on the options that added genuine value rather than adding complexity for its own sake.

Creating the base experience

Once the foundations were defined, I created a base website to test the system in a realistic setting.

The base site included reusable patterns for typography, cards, buttons, layouts and common content blocks. Each design decision was connected to the variables system, allowing updates to be applied consistently across the site.

This helped the team test how the system would behave before applying it to live client projects.

From brand direction to a complete website

The new system made it possible to move more smoothly from an early moodboard to a polished website.

For each client, I explored their brand direction through colour, typography, imagery and UI details. Once the direction was agreed, I applied the relevant variables and components to create a tailored website design.

This allowed each website to feel distinct while still benefiting from a shared, scalable foundation.

Improving the editing experience

Alongside the visual system, I helped refine the editing experience.

The aim was to make the editor easier to understand for both clients and internal teams. I focused on reducing unnecessary complexity, improving hierarchy and making the available options clearer.

This helped create a more manageable experience without removing the flexibility needed for more complex websites.

The result

The updated system made the website-building process faster, clearer and more flexible.

It helped the team:

Create branded website directions more efficiently
Reduce repetitive design work
Maintain consistency between design and development
Build websites that feel more distinctive
Simplify the editing experience
Scale the system more confidently as new projects are added

The project showed how a well-structured design system can improve both the quality of the final product and the process used to create it.