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
Person holding a framed print titled 'Jack Russell' with traits listed as fearless, driven, loves a good chase, bright, vocal, and energetic, while a Jack Russell dog looks at it.

Background

I founded Well Bred Design in 2013 after I designed a Shopify website for a Brighton-based homewares store. 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.

Three framed prints each showing a black silhouette of a dog breed with descriptive words: Rough Collie (Protective, Loyal, A Natural Herder, Sensitive, Gentle, Elegant), Labrador (Enthusiastic, Clever, One of the Family, Outgoing, Kind, Trusting), Skye Terrier (Fearless, Devoted, Strong Willed, Dignified, Robust, Affectionate).

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.

Well Bred website homepage on tablet and mobile showing dog lover gifts, including dog breed prints, cards, and enamel pins.

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

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Shopify store build, optimisation, and content management

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Marketplace optimisation (NOTHS, Etsy, Thortful)

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Paid social advertising and campaign testing

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Email marketing and customer retention

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

Wooden wall decoration shaped like a dog's face with a circular name tag reading 'RALF' on a blue background.Person holding a card that reads 'Rupert says you are the best Dog Mum EVER!' next to a black Labrador dog lying on a patterned rug.Framed heart-shaped map of Manchester with gold script text 'Where it all began' and personalised names and date.Enamel pin of a black cat with the word 'love' inside its body, displayed on a brown card labeled 'Cat Love Enamel Pin' from Well Bred Design.

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

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10,000+ products sold across multiple platforms

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

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Wholesale distribution into independent UK retailers

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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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