Most new premium brands face the same choice at launch. A template is affordable and quick, but its defaults show through and rarely read as luxury. A bespoke build reads well, but it costs £40,000 or more and takes eight to twelve weeks, for a brand that does not yet have the trading data to design against.
The Launch Programme is the considered route between the two: the taste and judgement we bring to global houses, applied to new brands through our proprietary design system.
This page sets out what the programme is, how the two weeks run, what a brand receives and provides, the investment, and what sits outside the scope.
What the Launch Programme Is
The Launch Programme is a fixed-scope Shopify launch from Design & Build Co. for new and growing premium fashion, beauty and lifestyle brands. It starts from £16,000 and delivers a considered, editorial store in two to four weeks.
The premise is simple. A new brand is best served by a strong system, applied with care, rather than by designing everything from a blank canvas, or by a generic theme that does little to engage its customers or reflect what the brand stands for. The decisions that shape how a brand is perceived (typography, colour, spacing, buttons, the direction for imagery) are made deliberately for the brand in a Style Guide. They are then applied through a customised theme built on our proprietary design system, refined over eight years of work for global houses including Stella McCartney, Baume & Mercier and Lyma.
The structural decisions (how a cart works, how filters behave, how a page loads) are inherited from a system already tested across many stores. That is what makes the timeline possible, and why the programme is priced well below a bespoke build. We set out the reasoning in bespoke or template: what a new luxury brand should build first.
How the Two Weeks Run
Week one: Brand Discovery and Style Guide
The first week agrees how the brand looks and feels online before anything is built. It opens with a kick-off session on the brand, its products, its customer and its references. Visual exploration and a first draft of the Style Guide follow, shared at a mid-week check-in so the brand's feedback shapes the final version. By the end of the week the visual exploration and the Style Guide, covering typography, colour, spacing, buttons and imagery direction, are presented for sign-off.
Week two: design, store set-up and quality assurance
The second week applies the Style Guide to every page template, sets up and configures the customised theme, and lays out each template with placeholder content so the brand can see exactly where its own material goes. The store is tested across desktop and mobile, and the week ends with a handover session and a written guide for the brand's team.
The work itself takes two weeks. We allow up to four in total so that reviews and the brand's own content never feel rushed. Why a launch can move this quickly, and what makes it slow, is covered in how long a fashion Shopify launch takes.
What You Receive
A Style Guide, the system behind the store, for the brand's team and any future partners.
A Shopify store configured from that Style Guide: homepage, collection, product, shopping bag, search, journal, content pages, contact and 404.
Custom sections designed for premium brands, including editorial heroes, media and text layouts, product carousels and grids, category tiles and a pre-footer sign-up, all editable without a developer. Product badges (Sold out, Pre-order, Sale and the brand's own labels) managed from Shopify admin.
A handover session and guide so the team can run the store from day one, and two weeks of support after handover for anything in our work that does not behave as delivered.
What We Need From You
Before kick-off: logo files and any existing guidelines; product photography and campaign imagery at launch quality, where available; and access to the brand's Shopify store. If there is no store yet, we set one up and transfer it to the brand at handover. Copy is not needed: we build with placeholder copy and products, and content sits outside the programme.
Photography sets the ceiling for any luxury site. Where your eCommerce and campaign shoots are still being planned, we build with placeholder imagery that reflects the creative direction, ready to be replaced with your own. During the two weeks we ask for one decision-maker at each review and consolidated feedback by the next working day after each check-in or review. After handover the brand uploads its full range and content, sets up payments, shipping, taxes and policies, and publishes when ready.
Investment
The Launch Programme starts from £16,000 (approximately $21,500), plus VAT where applicable. Payment is 50% on signing and 50% at handover. Third-party costs are held in the brand's name: the Shopify plan, theme licence, fonts and apps. How this compares with other routes to a luxury site is set out in what a luxury Shopify site costs.
What Sits Outside the Programme
Bespoke page design and new custom sections; custom functionality and app set-up beyond the standard set; copywriting, photography and film; product and content upload; migration from an existing site; and Shopify notification and marketing email templates. Each can be scoped separately at any point. The programme ends with the two-week support period, with no ongoing support, and our Figma working files are not included.
When a brand outgrows the programme, the Style Guide and store become the foundation for bespoke work, so nothing is thrown away. The order in which a new brand should build is covered in launching a fashion brand online.
Book an Intro Call
The Launch Programme suits a new brand, or a brand relaunching with a tight range, that has a clear point of view and a plan for its photography. It is not the right fit for a large catalogue across several markets or a complex integration; those projects deserve a bespoke build. To book an intro call and a demo, email info@designandbuild.co.
