North: Apparel Shopify Store for Boaters & Water Sport Enthusiasts

North is a conceptual lifestyle brand designed for boaters, sailors, and water sport enthusiasts. It features apparel such as shirts, polos, and hats, along with drinkware and accessories.

I created this store as a branding and Shopify design exercise during my early days working with Shopify, with the goal of learning how to create a cohesive, lifestyle-focused e-commerce experience that speaks directly to a niche audience.

September 14, 2020

Miami, FL

Project Brief

North was not a client project but a personal branding challenge. I wanted to build a brand identity from scratch, create a product mix, and design a Shopify store that feels authentic and aspirational for people passionate about life on the water. This practice allowed me to refine my skills in store setup, navigation planning, visual storytelling, and product presentation.

Project Goals & Strategy Overview

The goal of this project was to simulate a real-world brand build, focusing on niche branding and experience-driven e-commerce design.

Develop Brand Identity– Create a cohesive brand for a lifestyle niche (boating & water sports).

Refine Shopify Skills – Practice theme customization, product organization, and navigation structure.

Create Lifestyle Feel – Design a store that feels immersive and aligned with the boating lifestyle.

Step 1

Phase 1: Brand & Visual Direction

Defined a brand identity with nautical-inspired colors (navy, white, muted blues).
Selected a clean, classic font pairing to convey reliability and style.

Step 2

Phase 2: Store Layout & Navigation

Structured collections by apparel type (shirts, polos, hats) and accessories (drinkware).
Built a clear, minimal navigation menu for an easy shopping experience.

Step 3

Phase 3: Visual Merchandising

Curated imagery that showcased a coastal, boating-inspired lifestyle.
Designed homepage storytelling sections highlighting the brand’s nautical theme.

Step 4

Phase 4: Theme Setup & Customization

Used a clean Shopify theme and tailored sections to reflect a premium feel.
Practiced configuring collections, product variants, and content pages.

Project Outcome Results

The result was a polished concept store that looked and felt like a real lifestyle brand. North became a valuable early project for improving my Shopify store-building, branding, and visual design skills — experience that shaped how I approach niche branding for clients today.

Key achievements

While North was a concept project, it helped me gain early experience in branding, store setup, and product presentation
skills I now use to build professional, high-performing stores for real clients.

Business Impact

Developed a complete brand identity for a niche lifestyle market
Built a full Shopify store with product collections and clean navigation
Refined skills in visual storytelling and branding
Gained confidence in creating immersive, lifestyle-driven e-commerce stores

collections created for a clean navigation flow

Fully branded with cohesive color palette and typography

Lifestyle imagery curated for visual impact

Shopify setup completed end-to-end as a solo project

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Alek Tysklind

Shopify Theme Developer

I’m Alek, a Shopify optimization specialist with years of experience helping brands build faster, higher-converting stores. From speed improvements to CRO and migrations, I focus on creating Shopify experiences that drive real growth.