Crafting a Thoughtful Online Store that Echoes Rangsutra’s Artisan-Led Ethos
This unique Indian handicrafts brand, co-owned by its artisans wanted their D2C online store to reflect who they are: a collective rooted in craft, community, and sustainability. When Studio Subu was brought in, the brief was straightforward, refresh the online store on Shopify. But from the beginning, we knew this project had to go beyond a functional shop. The way a customer experienced Rangsutra’s story and values was just as important as browsing or buying a product.
I jumped in when the team was in the thick of setting up flows and visual directions. Before diving in, I took time to deeply understand the values and pillars that Rangsutra stands on. This grounding shaped how I approached the flow of the homepage and how the story would unfold across the site
Together, we explored numerous user flows and visual options, always asking:
How do we make this more than a transaction? How do we create an immersive experience that celebrates the artisans behind every product?
Designing
with Intention.
Key strategies that shaped our approach:
WOVEN STORYTELLING
We decided that the values of Rangsutra shouldn’t sit on a single “About” page. They had to be woven into small components across every section of the site to carry the artisan story forward.
SIMPLIFYING NAVIGATION
Instead of using collection names that didn’t resonate with customers, we created categories that felt intuitive and human-centered for easy movement across the site.
MANAGING PHOTOGRAPHY & CONTENT
We took on the design, photography, and content to ensure the visuals and copy consistently echoed warmth, craftsmanship, and authenticity. The content and visuals had to go hand in hand.
TECHNICAL BUILD
Shopify came with its own challenges. Inventory, customer data, and plugins. We built the site in two phases, ensuring we tested flows and functionality while layering in design.
Steering the Project Through Design and Execution
Alongside design, I took on several key responsibilities that shaped the final outcome:
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Planning and prioritising tasks across design, development, and content to keep the project moving steadily.
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Setting up a clear structure for product collections, page hierarchies, and URL naming
to create a scalable system and boosting SEO. -
Running daily stand-ups to track progress, identify dependencies, and resolve blockers before they slowed us down.
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Maintaining a bug tracker to log issues and enable quick fixes, ensuring a smooth experience on the live site.
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Supporting my teammate who was leading the technical build, while keeping communication with the client clear, consistent, and aligned.
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Pivoting quickly when we ran into Shopify’s constraints, finding alternative solutions without compromising on the experience.
Balancing these roles gave me a deeper understanding of how design, operations, management and planning intersect and how vital collaboration and adaptability are in bringing complex projects to life.
Rangsutra’s site became more than an e-commerce store. It became a digital space that honored the artisans while offering customers a seamless way to experience their craft.
Check out the current website here.
This project was developed and run alongwith the awesome team at Studio Subu.
I do not claim ownership of any content used and share credit with the team.