Design Musings

An existing client asked us to turn their simple five page website with gallery into an e-commerce shop. Stargazey, a gift company with two shops in West Cornwall, initially only wanted a basic presence online, allowing potential customers to have a taster and a point of reference. More recently, though, they wanted to expand their shops online as well. The client wanted to keep the same style as the design we had originally created for them, as this seaside feel was very suited to the homely gifts they specialise in. Our challenge was to expand the site to focus on visitors being able to buy those gifts, but not to compromise the original design. I created new artwork keeping within the style, adding a quick link button to the shop, updating the fading image animation and adding a shopping cart as well as an editable section to the home page for the client to keep repeat visitors up to date. The shop itself has six categories in a tool bar which we added to the left hand si...

Recently we completed an e-commerce website for Granny Wobbly's fudge. They already run two cute and quirky fudge shops in Wadebridge and Tintagel, Cornwall, but wanted to expand their shop online. The clients already had a logo and we needed to convey the feel of the shops themselves on the website. So we designed a simple but fun website, complete with blog and full e-commerce facilities. We used pink dotty and stripy bunting to frame the site and a swirly background allowing the text to be clear on a white page. The blog appears on the right hand side of the home page like a blackboard and there is a section for the client to update with their seasonal promotions. The shop admin allows the clients to upload the products themselves and edit the categories, and the shopping cart was designed to fit into the website style. The intention is for the shop to be very easy to use, encouraging sales. One of the best things about the project was tasting their ever changing var...

Recently we completed one of our most comprehensive e-commerce sites to date, DIY Wedding Stationery. The client came to us to transfer her successful business from Ebay to her own website. She sells all you would need to create your own wedding stationery, from card and envelopes to glamorous embellishments. We also designed the logo and created an appropriate and feminine brand, centred around swirling illustrations in cream, pink and brown. The shop comprises of an extensive database with a search facility and the ability for the client to add categories and sub categories. Clearly in the banner are displayed how many items are in the cart and the 'View Cart Button'. The products are arranged in an easy to understand tool bar on the left and subcategories are pictured on the main shop page. Once a product is selected the image appears bigger with description, a separate picture of the texture and the ability to enlarge both. You can select the quantity, add to cart as well a...

The new Bored Lizard website went live this week, now featuring an e-commerce shop, controlled by a CMS system that allows the client to add products himself. Laurent, the owner, has been running the growing business for five years now, and has expanded his range of products from the existing Stoneage brand, to include his own Bored Lizard clothing. We helped out by redesigning his logo in 2006, which he has since applied to hoodies and t-shirts, soon to be available on the website. Th redesign this time was minor, it simply involved turning the static products page into a live shop, leading customers through to PayPal where they can buy the items. This is a basic shopping system, with no need for a search facility, but it has the flexibility to include all of the lines that Bored Lizard stock.

We've just started work converting the existing Bored Lizard website to an e-commerce site. Laurent Calvez is now going to be selling his own brand of surf clothing online, along with other products in his popular, Bude based shop. Right in the centre of town, you can't miss Bored Lizard, and there will soon be a new sign outside with the logo we designed for them last year. Emma enjoyed designing two posters as well, a real opportunity to get her creative juices flowing! The new website design should be online soon, but in the meantime, if you are looking for online surf clothing, then have a look at the site to get an idea of what is to come.