Cow & Coconut: Building a Brand with Purpose

Bringing together design, development, and operations to create a thoughtful, feel-good brand experience.

At a glance

assignment
Project
Cow & Coconut Brand & Website
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Role
Founder / Digital Design & Owner
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Timeline
2019 – Ongoing
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Tools
Shopify, Klaviyo, Figma, Photoshop
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Users
Eco-conscious shoppers, gift buyers, local customers
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Responsibilities
Brand identity, UX/UI design, web development, marketing, operations

Project highlights

A hands-on blend of design, development, and business operations to bring a thoughtful, feel-good brand to life.

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Purpose-driven brand identity

Created a purpose-driven brand identity from the ground up, including logo, colour palette, typography, and brand voice.

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Conversion-focused Shopify website

Designed and developed a conversion-focused Shopify website,balancing education, product discovery, and ease of use.

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Email marketing through Klaviyo

Built and managed email marketing through Klaviyo, with strong engagement and consistently high open rates.

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Personalised customer service

Maintained direct customer relationships, handling communications and service with a friendly, human approach.

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Curated product range

Curated a product range that aligns with intentional, feel-good living, supporting sustainable choices without the overwhelm.

View Cow & Coconut website

Project summary

Cow & Coconut was born from a simple but powerful idea: that the things we use every day—on our skin, in our homes, and with our families—shouldn’t harm the planet or our bodies. The vision was to create an eco-conscious brand that felt approachable, honest, and enjoyable to engage with, while offering products that support intentional living.

As the founder, I took on every aspect of building Cow & Coconut from the ground up: brand identity, website design and development, product curation, marketing, and day-to-day operations. Without the luxury of a large team or budget, I relied on a mix of UX and design best practices, personal insight, and a clear sense of the values I wanted the brand to represent.

This project brought together my skills in UX, frontend development, e-commerce strategy, and content design—woven together by purpose.

The challenge

The eco retail space is filled with brands that can often feel clinical, overwhelming, or greenwashed. My challenge was to create something different—something that felt human, welcoming, and built on trust.

The goal was to design a shopping experience that:

Encouraged discovery without overwhelm
Felt genuine and personal—not mass-produced or pushy
Supported smooth, straightforward purchasing across devices
Reflected the brand values through both content and design

At the same time, I needed to balance creative ideals with the practical needs of running a small retail business—handling stock management, customer service, and marketing while growing the brand sustainably.

Approach & Process

With no large-scale research budget or audience data to lean on, my approach centred around:

Best-practice UX and e-commerce design principles
Personal experience as both business owner and customer advocate
Ongoing adjustments based on anecdotal customer feedback and lived experience running the shop

Key steps included:

Crafting the brand identity—logo, colour palette, typography, and voice—focused on warmth, care, and intention
Designing and building the Shopify website, with clear product categorisation, mobile-first design, and thoughtful content to support decision-making
Writing website copy that balanced product education with an approachable, conversational tone
Managing email marketing through Klaviyo, using targeted, thoughtful campaigns rather than high-volume sends
Handling customer communication directly, bringing a human voice to every interaction
Continuously reviewing and iterating on product offerings, content, and marketing based on personal insights and customer feedback

Outcome & Impact

While Cow & Coconut remains a small, independent business, the brand has built a reputation for being thoughtful, easy to engage with, and genuine in its mission.

Positive feedback about the brand experience is regularly shared by customers, noting its friendly tone and curated feel
The Shopify site continues to serve as a reliable, easy-to-use platform for product sales and seasonal updates
Email campaigns maintain strong open rates, reflecting a genuinely engaged audience
The brand identity provides a strong foundation for future growth, with flexibility to evolve product ranges and deepen the storytelling around sustainability and self-care

Most importantly, the experience has helped build trust with the audience—not through big claims or flashy campaigns, but through consistent, intentional communication and thoughtful design.

POS Idle Screen branded for in-store experience

Winter Eco Living Guide – Lead Generator

Reflections

Cow & Coconut has been as much a personal journey as it has been a business project. It has given me the opportunity to apply my UX, design, and development skills in a truly holistic way—connecting strategy, execution, and operations all under one roof.

It’s taught me how to balance creative ideals with commercial realities, and how much power there is in small, meaningful details. I’ve learned that purpose-led design is not about perfection—it’s about staying clear on your values, listening well, and being willing to adapt.

And while this project may not have scaled as quickly as I first hoped, it has become a space where I can experiment, grow, and share a piece of work that reflects what matters to me.