An e-commerce dropshipping site
View it live: NERDshirtsONtheINTERNET
The product:
NERDshirtsONtheINTERNET is an e-commerce dropshipping site specializing in pop culture merchandise. Its mission is to sell unique and of-the-moment shirts taken straight from the zeitgeist.
Project duration:
September 2022 - October 2022 (initial design)
Project is ongoing
My role:
UX/Content Designer building and maintaining layout and site copy.
Responsibilities:
Customizing and integrating Shopify and Printiful templates, creating branding and design systems, accounting for accessibility, and developing the “voice” of the company.
The voice:
NERDshirts is a fun, irreverent, pop culture e-commerce company that doesn’t take itself too seriously. I wanted the copy, product descriptions, and weekly newsletters to reflect the kind of merchandise they sell.
I chose to write in an informal, humorous voice, to help attract buyers who would be interested in the off-beat products.
The not-so-boring fine print:
“Do you have questions or comments? Maybe you just want to send us some love letters. Either way, we'll read 'em. If they're not too creepy, we might even write back. Who knows? This could be the start of something really beautiful.”
“This shirt has two n's and one y, but it's not where you think. It's made of 100% ring-spun cotton and is soft and comfy. Spilling wine on it may leave a stain.”
“Our shirts are made from organic or recycled materials, and our sizing is unisex because we don't believe clothing should be gendered. Instead of keeping a warehouse full of products, we use the dropshipping method. The shirts aren't printed until you place your order. We've also partnered with Shopify, a carbon-neutral company that contributes $5 million annually to support entrepreneurs at the frontier of reversing climate change. We know that in order to get to your door, our products still have to travel on trucks and planes, pumping tons of carcinogens into the air and slowly destroying the planet, but we're trying, okay? Baby steps.”
“Have you ever thought to yourself, ‘That would be a cool shirt. I wish I had my own shirt company’? We sure did, so we decided to stop daydreaming and make it a reality. Here at NERDshirtsONtheINTERNET, we watch, read, and listen to the latest stuff, then get to work bringing you our favorite designs.”
What I learned:
While designing the content for NERDshirts, I discovered that even the smallest sections of text are an opportunity to use the voice of the brand. Making everything cohesive, from the splash page to the checkout, is a great way to insure the user experience is both consistent and fun.