Shopify web design and custom themes for DTC, B2B, and hybrid stores.

A custom Shopify theme built from scratch typically takes 6 to 10 weeks from design handoff to launch. This includes Liquid development, section schema configuration, mobile optimization, cross-browser testing, and Core Web Vitals tuning. Themes with complex custom sections or heavy animation work may take 10 to 14 weeks. We provide a fixed timeline and milestone schedule at the start of every project.

A custom theme is built from scratch: every section, every block, every piece of logic is written specifically for your brand. There is no base theme code underneath. Customizing a theme like Dawn means working within Shopify's existing code, which comes with inherited CSS, JavaScript, and section structures that constrain the design. Custom themes have no such constraints, load faster (no unused code), and are far easier to maintain long-term because every file is intentional.

Custom themes are built to Shopify Online Store 2.0 standards, which means they use JSON templates and support Shopify app blocks natively. Any app that uses Shopify app blocks can be added to your theme without touching code. Apps that inject snippets or CSS are tested during QA, and we handle any integration adjustments before launch.

Yes. We build section schemas so that every content-managed element, from headings and images to text, button labels, and colors, is editable from the Shopify theme editor without touching code. We also document every section in a handover guide and walk your team through the editor before launch. Most clients manage their own content updates from day one.

Our custom themes consistently score 90 to 100 on desktop and 80 to 95 on mobile in Lighthouse Performance. We achieve this through deferred JavaScript, Liquid-native image sizing (no JavaScript-based lazy load), critical CSS inlining, and lazy loading of all below-the-fold sections. LCP (Largest Contentful Paint) is typically under 1.5 seconds on desktop.

Yes. DTC theme builds are a core part of our work. We build custom Liquid themes from scratch designed for conversion: mobile-first browsing, high-resolution product presentation, fast checkout paths, and CRO embedded into the design and structure from day one. We have built DTC themes for brands in fashion, accessories, jewelry, health, and consumer goods across New Zealand, Australia, the USA, and the UK.

Yes. Hybrid Shopify themes that serve both retail and trade customers from the same storefront are one of our specializations. The theme handles conditional rendering based on customer tags, showing different pricing, different catalogs, and different checkout flows to trade versus retail buyers. This requires careful Liquid logic and section schema architecture, and we have built this pattern across multiple sectors.

Yes. If your existing theme has a strong foundation and only needs targeted changes, section additions, or performance improvements, theme customization is often the right choice. We assess the existing theme code first and advise honestly on whether customization or a rebuild is the better investment for your specific requirements.

You do. The Liquid theme, its sections, blocks and settings schema are all yours, delivered in your Shopify admin and in a git repository if you want one. There is no license, no obfuscation and nothing stopping another developer picking it up.

Fixed-price per project. Theme work is the most estimable thing we do because the scope is visible up front: number of templates, number of unique sections, and how much of the design is bespoke rather than adapted from an existing layout.

That is the point of how we build. Every meaningful element is exposed through section and block schema, so your team reorders sections, swaps imagery and edits copy in the theme editor. You should not need to call us to change a headline.

Yes. Theme work travels well because it is largely independent of local payment and tax setup. We build themes for UK, US, Canadian and European merchants, including multi-currency and multi-language storefronts through Shopify Markets.

Send us your current store or your designs, and tell us which templates matter most commercially. Theme scoping is driven by template count and section complexity. Fixed-price quote and milestone plan at no charge.

Customizing a well-built purchased theme is faster and cheaper and is the right answer for many merchants. A fully custom theme is worth it when your merchandising, product structure or brand genuinely does not fit an off-the-shelf layout. We will tell you which you are.

We target Lighthouse 90+ on the templates that matter, home, collection and product. Speed comes from building lean rather than optimizing afterwards, and the usual cause of a slow Shopify store is the installed app stack rather than the theme.

Yes. Everything meaningful is exposed through section and block schema so your team can reorder sections, swap imagery and edit copy in the theme editor without touching Liquid or calling us.

Yes. Sections everywhere, JSON templates, app blocks and metafield-driven content are standard. Building on the older architecture today would limit what your team can change later.

Yes. Mobile layouts are designed first because that is where most Shopify traffic converts, and we build to WCAG AA basics: keyboard navigation, focus states, color contrast and proper heading structure.

It depends on how much is new. Customising a purchased theme runs USD 99 to 1,000. A starter store set up on a quality theme is USD 899 to 3,500. A fully custom theme designed and built from scratch is USD 3,500 to 12,000. Every project is quoted at a fixed price against a written scope before work starts.

A Shopify website designer plans how the store looks and how shoppers move through it: page layouts, navigation, product and collection pages, and the path to checkout. On our team the designer works alongside the developer who writes the Liquid, so the design is built exactly as drawn, as sections you can edit yourself in the theme editor.