Evolution of Polaroids

In partnership with

Influencer code protection made simple

KeepCart: Coupon Protection partners with D2C brands like Quince, Blueland, Vessi and more to stop/monitor coupon leaks to sites/extensions like Honey, CapitalOne, RetailMeNot, and more to boost your DTC margins

Try it 14 days free - No risk, Cancel anytime

Hey, it’s Kushagra. Welcome to this week’s AtlasMoth drop.

Polaroid? Yeah, that old-school cam that spits pics. Thought it faded? Nah. It just got a glow-up.

This week, we’re diving into how a brand from ’37 snapped back in style, fresh look, slick tools, and a vibe that hits hard in the scroll age.

From Andy Warhol to Figma boards, Polaroid’s blending of soul with speed, analog roots with digital dreams.

Let’s break down how they saved film, fixed their flow, and built one of the chillest brand comebacks with pixels, purpose, and a whole lotta heart.

💬 Building for people beyond borders? Book a call to explore more

Stop Asking AI Questions, and Start Building Personal AI Software.

Transform your AI skills in just 5 days through this free email course. Whatever your starting point, by Day 5 you'll be building working software without writing code.

Each day delivers actionable techniques and real-world examples straight to your inbox. No technical skills required, just knowledge you can apply immediately.

Sign up for the course

Polaroid’s Glow-Up Hits Hard

Polaroid was this close to the end. Now? It’s back, bold, fresh, and built for the scroll-age.

The brand was born in ‘37. The guy? Edwin Land. Big brain. Big goals. His rule? “Don’t start if it’s not hard as hell and worth it.”
In ‘48, he dropped the first cam that spit out pics fast. Boom. Just like that. It hit.

Since then? A vibe.
Warhol shot stars.
Adams caught peaks.
Hockney made cool mash-ups with film.

Now? New squad, new look, same snap-magic.
The past pops. The now slaps.
Polaroid's not just back, it hits.

Then came digi cams. And just like that, Polaroid took a hit.

In ‘08, they shut down their last film spot in the Netherlands. Sad vibes.

But hold up, a crew of film nerds said, “Nah.” They called it The Impossible Project. Bought the old plant. Fixed the juice. Brought it back.

Now? The name’s Polaroid again. And it’s not stuck in the past.

They’ve got cams, prints, and apps all made for the scroll and the snap.

And to build fast? They use Figma. To test, tweak, and dream big.

Old soul. New tech. Still got that spark.

Fix the Stack, Find the Spark

One vibe. One truth. That’s the goal.

To vibe with the new gen, each touch site, app, and print had to feel tight. Smooth. On-brand. No skips.

But back then? Total mess.

The tools were split. Work was all over. Each designer did their own thing. That meant the same task, done twice. Slow pace. Big waste.

No shared base. No chill flow. Just iOS.
Yup, even with an Android app, they didn’t even bother to mock it up.

Then came Figma. And things? They snapped into place.

Protect your checkout from coupon plug-ins. Boost your margin today.

KeepCart: Coupon Protection partners with DTC brands like Quince, Blueland, Vessi and more to protect your checkout from plug-ins like Honey, CapitalOne, RetailMeNot, and more to boost your DTC margins

Overpaid commissions to affiliates and influencers add up fast – Get rid of the headache and revenue losses with KeepCart.

After months of using KeepCart, Mando says “It has paid for itself multiple times over.”

Now it’s your turn to see how much more profit you can keep.

Try it 2 months free, only in May (email us MAYMARGIN) – No risk, Cancel anytime.

Mock it. Test it. Ship it.

With Figma, no more solo sprints. Now the whole crew’s in from the jump.

With tools like tokens and vars, they test new stuff fast and flex it for each use.

And the glow-up? It shows.
Now the app shows your camera, not the full squad.
Themes match your gear’s look.
Dark mode? Light mode? Yep.
Fonts flip smoothly from iOS to Droid.

Figma kits give them a quick start.
Plugins like Autoflow help map the pathway before final mocks.

Mock the Real. Not Just the Screen.

With ProtoPie in the mix, the team took tests to a whole new level.

That viewfinder? Not just a lens.
It lets folks tweak how far, how fast, and how bright.
Back then, to test that? You’d need code. Renders. Time. Still felt fake.

Now? It feels real.
Touch, test, tweak all before a line of code drops.

From mock to ship

With one truth in Figma and Dev Mode on deck, handoff? Smooth as hell.

Back then? Pure chaos.

Now? Devs peek, click, and grab what they need. No long pings. No file hunt.

Dev Mode bridges the gap.
Builds hit fast. QA flies.
Clean comps = clean code.

Less drag. More speed.
Design hands it off to dev, runs with it.

Now devs don’t wait on mocks, they’re in the flow early.

With Figma, they peek notes, test modes, swap sizes, and feel how stuff acts for real.

No more “send me 10 screens” just to guess how it’ll move in a browser.

They get it. They built it. They vibe with design, as one crew.

One File. All In.

It’s not just the product crew.

Now the whole squad’s in Figma brand peeps, art heads, copy pros, and even the freelance gang.

Same file. Same page. Same vibe.

No silos. Just teamwork that flows.

No back-and-forth with PDFs.
Brand rules live in Figma now.
Not set in stone, they grow with the work.
Spot a gap? Fix it on the spot.

Looking to the future

Polaroid’s not just building tools, they’re building feels.

The squad blends gut + data to shape what drops next.
The app’s scan tool? Folks loved it. So now they’re on to the next big thing: Instant Answers, an AI that gives quick tips and helps folks snap like pros.

“Do I shake it like a Polaroid pic?”
Short take? Nah.
Old film? Yeah, I liked the shake.
New film? Sealed up. Let it chill.
(Yes, they trained the bot to know this.)

What’s next?
More heart. More tech.
And a shot of soul in every tap.