Pricing and quotation guide
Shopify website design cost
Shopify design costs differ mainly because of how many templates need designing, how far the design departs from the chosen theme, and how much preparation your images and content need.
This page explains each of those factors, shows which costs are paid to theme and app providers, and suggests where you can save without weakening the result.
Illustrative diagram
Design quotation
- Theme styling
- Colours
- Fonts
- Settings
- Templates
- Product
- Collection
- Homepage
- Custom sections
- Unique layouts
- Build and test
- Preparation
- Images
- Copy
- Review rounds
The distance from the theme decides most of the cost
Every Shopify design starts somewhere. If your brand fits the chosen theme's layouts and you mainly need colours, fonts, imagery and section arrangement, design is relatively quick. If the design calls for layouts the theme cannot produce, each one becomes a custom section that has to be designed and built.
Before quoting, we compare your design wishes against what candidate themes already do. Sometimes a different theme removes most of the custom work; sometimes a small number of custom sections is the better investment.
Factors in a design quotation
- Number of distinct templates
- Homepage, collection, product, cart and content pages each need design. Extra templates for different product types add more.
- Custom sections
- Layouts the theme cannot produce need designing and building as new sections.
- Image preparation
- Cropping, resizing and background consistency for existing photos takes time proportional to the number of images.
- Content writing
- Designing around supplied text is quicker than drafting homepage and page copy.
- Review rounds
- Each round of changes takes time. A clear brief and consolidated feedback keep rounds to a minimum.
- Brand assets
- Existing logos, colours and fonts speed things up; missing assets may need creating first.
Costs paid to third parties (separate from our fees)
- Paid theme licence, bought from the theme provider
- Stock photography or font licences, if needed
- Apps that add design features, charged by their providers
Theme, font and stock image prices are set by their providers and are not part of our quotation.
Three illustrative design scopes
Illustrative examples to show how scope changes effort. These are not real projects or prices.
| Scope | Typical content | Main effort |
|---|---|---|
| Theme styling | Existing theme, brand colours and fonts, arranged sections | Settings and image preparation |
| Styled with custom sections | A few custom homepage and product sections | Designing and building those sections |
| Bespoke layout | Most templates designed from first principles | Design, build and testing across every template |
Where saving makes sense
Good places to save
Suits you when
- Using an existing theme's layouts
- Supplying your own page copy
- Preparing product images before the project
Watch out for
- Theme limits may require compromise on some layouts
False savings
Suits you when
- Skipping mobile review
- Mixing image shapes across products
- Leaving out a style guide
Watch out for
- These create inconsistency that costs more to fix later
Preparing to get an accurate design quotation
Send with your enquiry
- Your current store link or theme name, if any
- Logo files and brand colours
- Three stores you like, with what you like about each
- Approximate number of products and product types
Decide early
- Whether a paid theme is acceptable
- Who writes homepage and page text
- Who supplies product photography
Redesigning an existing store
A redesign of a store that is already trading has different costs from a new design. There is less to set up, because products, collections and policies already exist, but there is more to protect. Changes should be prepared on an unpublished copy of the theme and switched over once approved, so customers never see a half-finished layout.
Redesigns also give you something new designs lack: evidence. Order data, customer questions and search terms show which pages matter most and where shoppers struggle. Directing the budget at those pages first usually produces a better result than redesigning everything evenly, and it lets you spread the remaining work over later phases if you prefer.
Questions about Shopify website design cost
Is a paid theme worth the cost?
Sometimes. A paid theme can include layouts and filters that would otherwise need custom work. We compare free and paid options against your needs before you decide.
What makes a redesign cheaper than a new design?
A redesign can reuse the existing theme, structure and content, so effort goes into improving templates rather than building everything again.
How many review rounds are included in a design quotation?
The number is stated in each quotation. Consolidated feedback usually means fewer rounds are needed.
Does image preparation really affect price?
Yes. Making several hundred product photos consistent is real work. If your photos are already consistent, that time disappears from the quotation.
Can design be split into phases?
Yes. Core templates can be designed first and supporting pages or campaign sections added later as separate work.
Do I pay for a design I decide not to use?
Payment terms, including what happens if a project stops part-way, are set out in the quotation before any work starts.
Is designing extra product templates expensive?
Each additional template adds design and testing time. It is worth it when product types genuinely need different information, such as furniture dimensions versus clothing sizes.
Can I reuse my current theme to keep design costs down?
Often, yes. If the theme is recent and supports sections on every page, restyling it is usually cheaper than moving to a new one.
Request a Custom Quote
Ask about Shopify website design cost
Thank you — your enquiry has been sent.
We have received your message and will reply by email. If you need to add anything, email info@letgetgrow.com.