The Paper Store

The Paper Store, a retail gift store, wanted a full refresh of its website: a more modern, user-friendly experience that matched where the brand was going.

The timeline was tight, and the design team was two people: Senior Designer Jena LaPlante and me. Between the two of us we covered research, visual direction, page design, components and documentation.

We started with a competitive analysis of other retailers, then set the visual direction with three style tiles for the client to choose from. I designed two of them, Crisp White and Clean Light; Jena designed Color Splash. Each one carries The Paper Store next to Uncharted, its secondary brand, which shares the site.

The client chose Crisp White, shown at the top: mostly white and black, with thin type and simple buttons, so the product photography does the talking.

Jena led the UX: structure, flows and priorities for each page. I translated that UX into the UI of most of the pages, including the key templates of any store: the homepage, the product listing page (PLP), the product detail page (PDP) and the checkout.

The aim on every page was the same balance: clean and easy to scan, with room for the product photography to do the selling.

To keep the site consistent and ready for future updates, we built a comprehensive component library in Figma. I built many of its components; Jena wrote the documentation, so the kit could work as a specification for the developers.

“Shop the Look” is one of them: a full outfit next to its pieces, each one a step away from the bag.

The result was a clean, intuitive e-commerce experience that balances usability with visual appeal, ready for handoff to development. The designs are still in use on the live site today, most visibly on the product listing, product detail and checkout pages.

I learned a lot from Jena on this one, above all how to work fast without letting quality slip: a tight timeline is easier when the UX is clear and every component is built to be reused.