Shorts, Snippets & Musings

I’m excited to share the launch of Playhause, a new premium adult brand I was commissioned to brand and develop from the ground up. Built around the idea that pleasure and play belong in everyday life, Playhause celebrates individuality, sensuality, and self-expression through bold design, confident storytelling, and an unmistakable aesthetic.

From its distinctive “PH” cipher and the empowering tagline Own Your Pleasure to a visual identity that balances elegance and edge, Playhause has been crafted to feel both provocative and refined. Every creative decision, from the photography direction and typography to colour and tone, has been designed to express that duality between Play and Hause.

With the brand identity now complete, I’m moving into the next phase: designing and developing the Shopify store that will bring Playhause to life online. The new platform will merge editorial storytelling with a seamless shopping experience, setting the stage for the first product collections to launch later this year.

I’m thrilled to be working with textile performance artist Harriet Riddell, the creative force behind InStitchYou. Harriet travels the world with her sewing machine, capturing people and places through the art of free-motion embroidery.

Together, we’re designing a new Shopify experience that brings her extraordinary practice online in a way that reflects her energy and artistry. The new site will showcase original works, commissions, and live events, while giving audiences a deeper insight into Harriet’s journey — blending storytelling, process, and performance within a beautifully simple e-commerce framework.

This project is about more than selling artwork; it’s about capturing the spirit of creation itself. We’re building a digital space that feels personal, tactile, and alive — just like Harriet’s stitched narratives. I can’t wait to share the finished site and bring InStitchYou’s world to life online.

I’m excited to announce I’ll be working with Buttah London on their new Shopify store. Buttah are a new premium beauty brand inspired by simplicity, self-care, and confidence. Buttah’s range blends clean, effective ingredients with a refined aesthetic that celebrates everyday luxury.

Working closely with the Buttah team, I am designing a bespoke Shopify 2.0 website that aligns with their modern, elevated brand identity. The build will focus on storytelling, intuitive navigation, and a flexible content structure — allowing the brand to grow while maintaining consistency across collections, campaigns, and community-driven features.

This project includes creative direction, UX design, and Shopify development, from wireframes and product templates through to launch strategy and on-site SEO.

I’m thrilled to announce the launch of Qwickhose’s new Shopify website. A project that’s been all about clarity, functionality, and growth.

Qwickhose are a British brand designing high-quality, quick-connect hose fittings built to last. Their innovative system is engineered for ease of use, precision, and durability. Developed for gardeners, makers, and professionals who value well-made tools.

Working closely with the team, I’ve migrated their old WordPress site to Shopify, rebuilt the user experience from the ground up, and refined their product presentation to better showcase the brand’s craftsmanship and innovation. The result is a clean, fast, and scalable platform ready to support their next stage of growth.

Founded by designer Astha Garg, the label is known for its refined silhouettes, bold detailing, and a contemporary approach to Indian occasion wear. Each piece blends craftsmanship and individuality, reflecting Astha’s commitment to creating timeless, expressive designs that celebrate modern femininity.

I’ve been working closely with the Astha Garg team to design and develop their new Shopify website, a platform that captures the spirit of the brand while making the shopping experience seamless and intuitive. From the product architecture and navigation to the visual presentation, every detail has been crafted to mirror the label’s elegance and confidence.

The launch marks a new chapter for the brand, offering customers around the world a beautifully curated online space to explore collections, discover the story behind each garment, and connect with the artistry at the heart of Label Astha Garg.

I’m delighted to welcome For The Ageless as a new client. Founded in 2016, For The Ageless is a UK-based wellness company that curates premium CBD oils, health supplements, and natural skincare products from trusted, ethical brands. Their focus on transparency, education, and product quality has earned them a loyal customer base and a respected position in the UK wellness market.

I’ll be working with the team on a full Shopify redevelopment, creating a modern, high-performance online store that reflects their values and elevates the customer experience.

This collaboration is a great fit for my studio’s focus on design-led, conversion-optimised e-commerce experiences. I’m looking forward to bringing For The Ageless’ vision to life with a site that combines beauty, usability, and scalability in equal measure.

I’m excited to announce a new client: STORRS London, an esteemed English print house renowned for its luxury cotton fabrics.

Specialising in original designs screenprinted onto 100% Egyptian superfine cotton lawn, STORRS London offers a premium textile experience loved by dressmakers and fashion designers alike.

Their exquisite collections celebrate craftsmanship, heritage, and timeless style — and I’m thrilled to be supporting their continued growth online.

I’ve officially made my first hire — Chloe has joined as a Studio Assistant, helping out with admin, emails, and keeping projects running smoothly behind the scenes.

Things have been brilliantly busy lately — and while I love a bit of Jackson Pollock energy, Chloe’s here to bring a little more Mondrian-style structure to the day-to-day.

She’s already making a big difference, and I’m excited about what this means for the studio moving forward. Thanks to everyone who’s been part of the journey so far!

The dust has settled on a major campaign we worked on fopr CleanCo in collaboration with major UK brewery Greene King.

Between them they gave away 10,000 free alcohol-free cocktails across 42 pubs in the UK.

We helped CleanCo collect user data to process and provide free cocktails across Greene King’s bars and pubs which was a huge success for the client, helping them get their brand recogonised as serious market disrupters.

I am really excited to announce that the amazing CleanCo brand has joined my client roster.

I’ll be providing Shopify Plus support services for both their UK and US websites, whilst also helping with design & branding projects in the near furture.

It’s a honour to be working with such a disruptive brand in the drinks sector and I can’t wait to get involved shaping a cleaner future with the team.

I am thrilled to announce that I have been awarded the “Web Designer of the Year” by SME News. This prestigious award recognizes outstanding achievements in the web design industry and is a testament to the hard work and dedication that I put into every project.

SME News is a leading digital publication that focuses on small and medium enterprises (SMEs) across the UK. They are committed to highlighting the success stories and innovations of businesses in various sectors. Being recognized by such a reputable organization is an incredible honor, and I am grateful for this acknowledgment.

Thank you to everyone who has supported me on this journey!

A big welcome to Ardore who have hired me to help launch their new products in UK & Europe.

I’ll be working with the team over the next few months to launch a new Shopify website designed to sell the lifestyle of Ardore and their initial products.

I’m keeping their products secret for now but watch this space for further announcements.

A huge welcome to Khalid Rashid “The Bohemian Artist” who is the first Artist to sign up to my new “Artist & Maker” business support client.

Last month I introduced a new service designed to aide artisans get started and grow their digital business. Khalid and I will be working together over the next few months to build a low-maintenance e-commerce website through Shopify and Direct to Printer dropshipping services.

We’ll also be working on all things brand, social and marketing so Khalid can concentrate on his art.

Sign up to his newsletter today and join his journey.

I am proud to unveil Wolfbury, the latest masterpiece from The Suffolk Distillery. Craft distilled with the exotic allure of wolfberries,

Wolfbury gin represents a bold foray into uncharted territories of flavour. My journey with The Suffolk Distillery involved creating a label and branding that embody the spirit of adventure and the rich, nuanced essence of wolfberries.

This gin is not just a drink; it’s an invitation to explore the wild and wonderful world of craft distillation.

I am thrilled to announce our latest collaboration with Pillars Brewery, the trailblazing craft lager specialists from Walthamstow. Established in 2016 as London’s premier craft lager brewery, Pillars has redefined lager with their commitment to quality, community, and innovation. Their family-founded ethos and dedication to the craft embody the spirit of bringing people together through the love of lager.

Cheers to a future where great lager and great design unite! Explore their story and savour the taste of excellence at pillarsbrewery.com.

Huge congratulations to The Leif Collective on the launch of their new business.

Leif specialise in Ecological Landscape Design and commissioned me to help design their brand and new WordPress website.

Be sure to check out their work and read their guides on their website theleifcollective.co.uk

Huge welcome to Phix Clothing. A Manchester-based fashion brand reimagining classic styles to create unique looks.

I’ll be working with the team with the Shopify Plus store providing theme development and technical support.

Be sure to check them out at phixclothing.com.

I’ve been working with Interior Designers, Stellar & Co on their online presence for the best part of two years. This month we saw the launch of their new e-commerce store where they will be selling their own products alongside specially curated designers and makers.

Be sure to pop along and take a look stellarandco.co.uk

I am pleased to announce that The Lemonade Group have just launched their new Shopify website which I have been working on with them since September.

The Lemonade Group offers freelance hairdressers and consultants wholesale specialist products with a combined group savings. The website is very unique in it’s brand and style so was great fun to work on.

Check it out at thelemonadegroup.co.uk

After building many Shopify websites for clients I finally took the plunge and built one for myself as a showcase for the printmaking and paintings I sell.

The Rik Barwick Studio is dedicated to my more analogue creative passions and has been a great release for me over the years so I am pleased to share this with you all.

Please visit the new site at www.rikbarwick.studio

Huge congratulations to Wild Erb Candle Co. for achieving their first sale since we finished migrating their e-commerce over to Shopify this month.

Wild Erb Candle Co create wonderful candles and scented wax melts from their home in Suffolk. Emily plans to leverage Shopify’s e-commerce tools and POS functionality to expand her business.

The website can be found at wilderb.co.uk

I’m excited to announce the launch of the new and improved Shopify Theme for The Artisan Smokehouse!

I’ve been working with Tim and Gill last month to help build the new theme and ensure it performed well in page speed and accessibility checks to help their organic SEO rankings but also so it looks great!

The website can be found at theartisansmokehouse.co.uk

It gives me great pleasure to introduce you to the branding for new local business “Little Blossoms Baby Massage”.

I designed this logo with a hand-painted emblem as the icon as we wanted this to feel organic, relaxed and hand-crafted.

I’m going to write up a case study to show you the design process, watch this space for more!

I am thrilled to introduce Gill & Tim from “The Artisan Smokehouse” who have recently commissioned me as their Shopify Development Partner.

Gill & Tim own the award-winning smokehouse in Falkenham, Suffolk. They produce a great range of tasty smoked meats and hampers.

I can’t wait to get started working with the business to optimise and enhance their Shopify store.

I am very excited to announce that the Shopify Marketplace I have been building for local business Green Pebble has gone live with their first artist Faye Baines.

The “Direct from Artist” Marketplace allows chosen artists to collaborate and manage their own e-commerce facility within Green Pebble’s already flourishing e-commerce store.

We saw an instant uptake with sales of Faye’s work and are hoping to add more artists as soon as possible. I am continue to work with Green Pebble on other Shopify development and maintenance work.

I am very excited to welcome Ken Hom Woks to the client roster here at rikbarwick.co.uk. Ken Hom is the leading authority on Chinese Cooking and his woks are sold worldwide.

Ken Hom Woks is part of the DKB Household UK Ltd brand portfolio who also manage Cole & Mason and Zyliss. I’ll be working with the team over the next few months in supporting the updates to their Shopify e-commerce website as they look to grow the product offering across Europe.

I am thrilled to announce that I have just secured a new client, Green Pebble, based in Suffolk, UK. Green Pebble is a company that specialises in publishing high-quality greetings cards and gifts, and they have hired me as a Shopify expert to help them expand their digital offering to artists across the country.

This is a fantastic opportunity to work with a well-established company and to use my expertise in Shopify to help them grow their business. Green Pebble has a strong commitment to providing top-notch products and services to their customers, and I am excited to be a part of this journey.

Stay tuned for updates on our progress and for new exciting developments from Green Pebble.

The Suffolk Distillery has just released a new Limoncello beverage. I was asked to design the new logo design and bottle labels by the owner Gary Wilkinson and we decided it would feature a vintage-inspired logo and design elements.

The design elements convey a sense of tradition and craftsmanship, perfectly capturing the essence of the delicious and authentic Limoncello. The use of bold typography and a colour palette reminiscent of the Mediterranean adds a touch of elegance and sophistication, making it stand out on store shelves and appeal to discerning consumers.

Overall, the new branding is sure to help the product stand out in the competitive beverage market.

Exciting news! After 4 months of work and I am excited to announce the launch of the new Cole & Mason Shopify website.

Cole & Mason is a brand that has been providing high-quality kitchenware for over 100 years, and I can’t wait for you to see their latest collection. Since September I have been working closely with the UK marketing team to realign their brand into a more luxury market. I am proud to have helped with the UX & UI to help the website increase conversion rates whilst also helping with the content strategy for SEO.

Now my focus will turn to the teams in the USA and Europe to help localise the site to their different markets. So I’m excited to bring Cole & Mason’s high-quality kitchenware to an even larger audience and can’t wait for you all to see it!

Head over to www.coleandmason.com and check it out for yourself!

It gives me great pleasure to start 2023 with welcoming Zyliss Cookware to the client roster here at rikbarwick.co.uk.

I’ll be working with the US team over the next few months with Shopify Development to help migrate their e-commerce website over to the e-commerce platform.

Zyliss are an incredible cookware brand who have been applying their Swiss expertise to cooking and design for over 70 years.

I’m looking forward to the challenges this project brings as our American cousins have different accessibility laws and service expectancies than here in the UK so it’ll be interesting to see how I can learn from this for future projects.