Ecommerce business management and printed product design

I built and ran a product-led ecommerce business alongside freelance work, combining physical product design, platform UX, marketing, and commercial decision-making across multiple channels.

Client

Well Bred Design

Role

Design & Illustration

Year

2022

Background

I founded Well Bred Design in 2013 after I designed a Shopify website for a Brighton-based homewares store, where I designed and built their Shopify website. During that process, the owners encouraged me to explore designing a physical product for the shop. I created a set of illustrated dog breed prints, inspired by my own interest in getting a dog at the time. The prints sold strongly in-store and requests for new breeds demonstrated their popularity, leading me to apply for Not On The High Street, where the range quickly gained traction and required my full-time focus.

As demand grew, I expanded distribution through Etsy and later my own Shopify store, gradually building a multi-channel business selling illustrated prints, cards, pins, doormats, and personalised products. Alongside dog-themed products, I developed a successful range of personalised map prints on NOTHS and several bestselling card designs on Thortful.

Approach

This period was centred on building and operating a product-led ecommerce business end-to-end, combining design craft with commercial decision-making and continuous iteration based on real customer behaviour.

Product & Range Development

I designed and tested new physical products across multiple categories, refining artwork, formats, and personalisation options based on sales performance and customer feedback.

Ecommerce & Platforms

I managed multiple sales channels, including NOTHS, Etsy, Shopify, and Thortful, adapting product presentation, UX, and content to suit each platform’s audience, constraints, and conversion patterns.

Marketing & Growth

I handled paid social advertising, email marketing, organic social content, and wholesale outreach, balancing acquisition, retention, and operational capacity as the business scaled.

Key responsibilities

End-to-end product design and artwork production

Shopify store build, optimisation, and content management

Marketplace optimisation (NOTHS, Etsy, Thortful)

Paid social advertising and campaign testing

Email marketing and customer retention

Wholesale supply to independent bricks-and-mortar stores across the UK

Results

This period was less about client delivery and more about long-term ownership — developing judgement across design, UX, marketing, and business decisions through sustained, real-world use.

HIGHLIGHTS

10,000+ products sold across multiple platforms

2,000+ five-star reviews across NOTHS, Etsy, and Thortful

Wholesale distribution into independent UK retailers

20,000+ social media followers supporting organic and paid growth

Customer feedback

Customer feedback consistently highlighted clarity, emotional appeal, and gift-worthiness.

“Beautifully designed and really high quality. Bought as a gift and it went down a storm — I’ll definitely be ordering again.”

NOTHS Customer
Personalised Map Print

“The design is lovely and feels really thoughtful — one of the best cards I’ve bought on here.”

Etsy customer
Dog Dad Card
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