A brand carries into Shopify when its visual language is translated into components the theme can repeat: type scale, colour roles, image formats and modules for each page type. We design these as one system and store it in the theme settings, so the brand looks the same from navigation to product page.
Mintkind, a family brand from Hamburg for memory books and gifts, ran its store on Shopware 6. The aim was a storefront that carries the brand completely and that the team can run without developers. We translated the pastel imagery and the product staging into a new storefront design. According to the Mintkind case study, the store went live after 90 days, and the redesign carries the brand from navigation through to the product detail page.
For SMILODOX we held a design workshop that produced brand guidelines and brand layers for the store. On that basis we framed the central page types in Figma. The B2B area received its own frame for business customers without a second design system. The SMILODOX case study reports go-live after two months.
A design for several markets has to hold when the content changes. German product names and button labels run longer than English ones. Prices appear in different currencies and formats. We test every page type with the longest text and the largest price before development starts, and we design components so that they grow with the content.
Svenja Walberg relaunched on Shopify Plus for the DACH region, with subscriptions, bundles and a new cart drawer that brings recommendations and checkout entry together. The launch was designed so that further markets, languages and localised requirements can follow. The Svenja Walberg case study describes the setup. The market configuration itself is covered on our Shopify internationalisation page.
Stores that sell into Germany also carry more legal text than most markets: price information, delivery terms and links to legal pages. We give this content fixed places in the product page and the footer, so it is present in every market without pushing the purchase button out of view.
Not where they log in, reorder or look up past orders. When a store moves to Shopify, returning customers have to find their way at once. We decide before development which parts of the interface are carried over unchanged and which may change.
Sirocco, a Swiss brand for tea and coffee, moved from Magento to Shopify Plus. We carried the existing front-end design over 1:1 into Shopify Liquid and optimised it for responsive use, so existing customers met no visual or functional break. The Sirocco case study reports more than 40,000 migrated customer records with full order history and a 25% higher conversion rate after launch. The move itself is described on our Shopify migration page.
A redesign is right when the structure of the store no longer holds: the mobile view was never designed on its own, the team cannot build campaigns itself, or the brand has changed. If the store works in principle and should sell more, conversion optimisation with hypothesis, test and evaluation is the cheaper route.
Hairshop Pro, an online store for professional hair care, ran on Plentymarkets with weak mobile usability. We redesigned the store in Figma with a focus on mobile use. Volume discounts, product bundles and sticky calls to action were part of the design from the start. The Hairshop Pro case study reports a 35% higher conversion rate after launch and a 20% higher average order value from the bundle concept and cart upsells.
NICCOS has been a Shopify Plus Partner since April 2022. The Shopify Partner Directory lists 19 reviews with a rating of 5.0, and 13 published case studies show the stores we have worked on. Several of them include a redesign or a new design system.
Designs fail in the theme at three points. States were not designed and get improvised in code. The design counts on content the editorial team cannot deliver. Or it ignores the Shopify data model of products, variants, collections and metafields, and every product page needs special-case logic. The checkout is largely fixed by Shopify and can only be adjusted within defined limits.
Accessibility belongs in the design. We define contrast, focus styles, touch target sizes and visible labels in the design system. For stores that sell to consumers in the EU, our page on Shopify accessibility explains the audit. The build itself is done by Shopify development in the same team.
We are not the right partner if you are looking for individual banners or campaign visuals. We design the system in which that content is created.
Homepage, collection, product page, cart and customer account as one connected system with all states.
Colours, type scale, spacing and components sit in the code as theme settings and CSS variables.
Variant selection, configurator, filters and cart drawer become clickable before anyone develops them.
Positioning, range or audience no longer match what the store shows.
Configurator, subscription choice, B2B registration or bundles need a designed journey before they are developed.
Over the years several versions of buttons, greys and spacing have appeared. A system puts them in order.
Every campaign needs a developer because designed building blocks are missing.
Then the work goes straight into the build with theme architecture, sections and metafields.
Then hypothesis, test and evaluation achieve more than a new design.
Then loading behaviour and Core Web Vitals come before any design.
Then the first decision is whether a relaunch, a migration or a partial rebuild is due.
We look at theme, figures and support requests and record where customers get stuck today.
Page types, navigation and building blocks are defined. The result is a list of sections and blocks.
Type scale, colour roles, spacing, states and components receive names that also apply in code.
All page types are designed in the system, including long product names and missing images.
The journeys of the purchase path become clickable and are walked through with users or the team.
We go through the system with development and check the build in the theme.
Empty cart, sold-out variant, form error and loading state are part of the design.
Contrast, focus styles, touch areas and keyboard operation are defined in the design system.
Every section has limits for text length and image formats and a rule for missing content.
Variants, collections and metafields are taken into account in the design.
Mobile is the main channel
The store was designed on a large screen and sells mostly on the phone.
The range needs explaining
Customers have to compare, configure or check measurements. Image and price are not enough for that.
Several stores, one appearance
Second brand, country store or B2B area should belong together and share one system.
The relaunch has been decided
The design belongs before development. Changes in the finished theme take considerably more effort.
The trigger is an audit
If the question is WCAG 2.2 AA and the European Accessibility Act, you need findings first and not a redesign.
To Shopify accessibilityThe product data does not hold
If attributes, images or stock from ERP and PIM are missing, every design shows gaps. The data source solves that.
To system integrationThe plan is a new market
Languages, currencies, taxes and shipping rules decide the structure before the design starts.
To Shopify internationalisationSome stores need a review, others a new design, and running stores need design in operation. That gives three shapes of work.
For stores that suspect where customers drop off and need a basis for the next decision.
Ends with a prioritised list your team can work through without us.
For stores where structure, page types and components are created anew as a system.
Ends with a design system development can build from without further questions.
For stores with running campaigns, a growing range and new content on a regular basis.
Runs for as long as new pages are created and keeps them in the same system.
Every figure appears in the case study, where you can verify it.
Groundies, MYCR7 and Gusti Leder are three of thirteen projects we have published with starting point, delivery and result.
We look at theme, page types and figures. Afterwards you know whether a redesign, an optimisation or nothing at all is due.
NICCOS
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