Arte Antwerp

As the UX Designer for Arte Antwerp’s new digital platform, I was responsible for leading end-to-end research and design — from early insight-gathering to final prototyping and launch delivery. The goal was to create a conceptual, design-forward webshop that would reflect Arte’s elevated position in the fashion industry while integrating the technical flexibility needed for future growth and automation.I worked closely with the Creative Director, a two-person e-commerce team, a project lead, and an external development agency. This project required balancing artistic expression with commercial performance — designing a system that could convert, but also inspire.

Link to live website

arte-antwerp.com

Type

UX Design, Strategy, Branding

Platform

Shopify Plus, Figma, Trello, Monday

Client

Arte Antwerp

Team Size

1 Designer (me),

Date

2023

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Objectives

Arte Antwerp had outgrown its basic, utilitarian website. As the brand evolved into a globally recognized fashion house, their online experience needed to reflect this shift — not only in aesthetics, but in functionality, brand storytelling, and conversion capability.

The key challenges I tackled:
Outdated UX and technical structure
Broken product filtering and account system
Lack of cohesive narrative or brand expression
No support for expansion, automation, or upselling features
Minimal engagement on product pages
The objective was clear: build a brutalist, editorial-inspired shopping experience that told the Arte story, while driving performance improvements across the board — including conversion rate, average order value, and email-driven revenue.

Research & Methodologies

To understand the gaps and define UX opportunities, I applied a data-informed and brand-sensitive approach, combining qualitative and quantitative methods.

Tools & Methods:
Heatmaps, session recordings, and scroll-depth tracking using Hotjar
Heuristic analysis to surface usability and information architecture issues
Wireframes & hi-fidelity prototypes to test content hierarchy and product discovery patterns
A/B testing to evaluate different layouts and interaction models
Storyboarding to map brand storytelling into page-level experience
I analyzed how users navigated the old site and identified where engagement and flow dropped - particularly around filtering, cart access, and editorial content. I also benchmarked leading fashion brands known for experimental digital presence (e.g., Ader Error, Acne Studios) to inform visual direction without compromising usability.

UX Strategy & Design Approach

The core of my strategy was to shift the site from a transactional storefront into a conceptual brand experience - one that would elevate Arte’s identity through bold design while delivering on modern e‑commerce expectations.

My strategic focus areas:
Visual storytelling as navigation - I integrated brand content and imagery as active components of the journey - not just decoration, but functional entry points to products and collections.
Experimental layouts with scalable logic - I implemented a brutalist-inspired grid system, combining expressive visual structure with modular product presentation to keep the system future-proof.
Intuitive product discovery tools - I redesigned the filtering and sorting system from the ground up, ensuring clarity across devices and smooth transitions between campaign and catalog content.
Editorial-meets-commerce hybrids - I introduced campaign-led product bundles, interactive visuals, and shoppable lookbooks that blurred the line between content and commerce.
Conversion through atmosphere - Rather than optimizing CTA buttons alone, I focused on emotional engagement, clarity of path, and frictionless transitions - ensuring the site performed as strongly as it inspired.

Design System & Execution

I led the design execution entirely in Figma, creating a system that felt both radical and functional.

Key UI decisions I made:
Designed asymmetric, brutalist grid layouts for collection and editorial pages
Used strong typographic contrasts to support hierarchy without relying on traditional UI framing
Applied interactive transitions to enhance scroll engagement and reduce bounce
Maintained mobile performance and usability through adaptive scaling and thumb-friendly navigation
Developed clear account, cart, and checkout paths, with simplified forms and improved system feedback
While the visual direction was experimental, I ensured UX fundamentals - such as visibility of system status, mobile responsiveness, and product clarity - were never compromised.

Collaboration & Implementation

Throughout the project, I:
Presented design strategy and prototypes to Arte’s Creative Director for validation
Maintained alignment between the e-commerce team, marketing, and development
Collaborated with the external dev agency to provide annotated handoff files, responsive specs, and design QA via Marker.io
Adapted design decisions based on CMS and Shopify limitations, offering alternatives when needed
Delivered a final prototype complete with microinteraction guidance, states, and editorial layouts

Results

Although I wasn’t responsible for data tracking post-launch, I was informed of key results tied to my UX work:
+66% increase in overall revenue
+19% average order value (AOV)
+99% increase in revenue attributed to email, supported by the new site design and content structure
Significantly improved product filtering and navigation
Stronger editorial engagement and scroll depth
A clear step forward in Arte’s digital brand presence, as reflected in customer feedback and creative industry recognition

Reflection & Takeaways

This project taught me how to craft UX for high-concept fashion brands - where emotion, culture, and commerce coexist.

What I learned:
Brutalist design requires disciplined UX. Expressive grids and layout risks must still serve clear interaction logic - not override it.
Product discovery starts before the collection. I treated campaign imagery and editorial content as real pathways to product pages, not marketing noise.
UX is also narrative control. I made sure Arte’s heritage, visuals, and creative intent were interwoven into flows - not hidden behind About pages.
Performance must match presence. I focused on fast, mobile-first product exploration while maintaining visual richness.
Cross-team fluency enables quality. My ability to translate creative goals into dev-friendly systems was essential to delivering what the brand envisioned.