Eden Project
Building an online destination for sustainable goods
Building an online destination for sustainable goods
Building an online destination for sustainable goods
Agency
Swanky
Role
Design Lead
Type
Charity & Sustainability
The Challenge
From afterthought to destination
Eden Project wanted to build an online destination for sustainable goods. The vision: start with the awareness and trust of the Eden Project brand, then grow the shop into something that could eventually match the physical locations in scale and impact.
The starting position was weak. Visitors came through the main site but didn't engage with ecommerce. SEO was poor. The shop felt like an afterthought, not a destination.
The complexity made it harder. Ten stakeholders across events, marketing, and operations, all with competing priorities. A rebrand developing in parallel from one agency. A main site refresh running simultaneously from another. And a fixed launch date with no flexibility.
Stakes: Without transformation, the shop would remain a footnote to the destination experience. The opportunity to connect with people who couldn't visit Cornwall would be lost.
Constraints: Fixed launch date, 10+ stakeholders, three agencies in parallel, mid-project rebrand.
Eden Project wanted to build an online destination for sustainable goods. The vision: start with the awareness and trust of the Eden Project brand, then grow the shop into something that could eventually match the physical locations in scale and impact.
The starting position was weak. Visitors came through the main site but didn't engage with ecommerce. SEO was poor. The shop felt like an afterthought, not a destination.
The complexity made it harder. Ten stakeholders across events, marketing, and operations, all with competing priorities. A rebrand developing in parallel from one agency. A main site refresh running simultaneously from another. And a fixed launch date with no flexibility.
Stakes: Without transformation, the shop would remain a footnote to the destination experience. The opportunity to connect with people who couldn't visit Cornwall would be lost.
Constraints: Fixed launch date, 10+ stakeholders, three agencies in parallel, mid-project rebrand.
The Insights
High-awareness customers first
The client had customer personas covering everyone. For phase 1, I recommended narrowing focus: high-affinity, high-awareness customers who already knew Eden Project and were likely to convert.
This shaped everything. If customers already understand the sustainability story, you don't need it dominating the page. You can lead with conversion. Content hierarchy, homepage structure, PDP layout all followed from this insight.
Build for the customers ready to buy now. Expand to broader audiences in future phases.
The client had customer personas covering everyone. For phase 1, I recommended narrowing focus: high-affinity, high-awareness customers who already knew Eden Project and were likely to convert.
This shaped everything. If customers already understand the sustainability story, you don't need it dominating the page. You can lead with conversion. Content hierarchy, homepage structure, PDP layout all followed from this insight.
Build for the customers ready to buy now. Expand to broader audiences in future phases.
The Key Decisions
The Key Decisions
Navigating complexity to deliver clarity
Navigating complexity to deliver clarity
Decision 1
Establishing single-voice feedback
Ten stakeholders meant ten opinions. Without structure, feedback would conflict and the project would stall.
I worked with Juan (primary contact) to establish a rule: all feedback consolidated through him, delivered in Figma, checked for conflicts before reaching us. This took reinforcement. Early on, stakeholders were emailing directly, bypassing the process.
Eventually it clicked. Juan started filtering: "This isn't my feedback, someone else raised it. What do you think?" The relationship became collaborative.
Result: A streamlined feedback process that kept the project moving. Juan described himself as "overjoyed" at launch.
Ten stakeholders meant ten opinions. Without structure, feedback would conflict and the project would stall.
I worked with Juan (primary contact) to establish a rule: all feedback consolidated through him, delivered in Figma, checked for conflicts before reaching us. This took reinforcement. Early on, stakeholders were emailing directly, bypassing the process.
Eventually it clicked. Juan started filtering: "This isn't my feedback, someone else raised it. What do you think?" The relationship became collaborative.
Result: A streamlined feedback process that kept the project moving. Juan described himself as "overjoyed" at launch.
Decision 2
Resolved education versus conversion tension
Stakeholders wanted sustainability storytelling throughout. But a shop needs to convert.
I ran a workshop where they could "move the needle" between education and commerce, seeing what each emphasis would look like in practice. The resolution: sustainability messaging appears throughout (homepage, collection pages, product pages) but positioned based on customer awareness. High-awareness customers see conversion-focused layouts. Storytelling supports rather than leads.
Result: Stakeholder alignment before design began. No redesign loops. Clear content hierarchy balancing mission with commerce.
Stakeholders wanted sustainability storytelling throughout. But a shop needs to convert.
I ran a workshop where they could "move the needle" between education and commerce, seeing what each emphasis would look like in practice. The resolution: sustainability messaging appears throughout (homepage, collection pages, product pages) but positioned based on customer awareness. High-awareness customers see conversion-focused layouts. Storytelling supports rather than leads.
Result: Stakeholder alignment before design began. No redesign loops. Clear content hierarchy balancing mission with commerce.
Decision 3
Resolving education vs. conversion
The rebrand arrived mid-project from an agency focused on print. The wave textures looked beautiful in static applications but had no guidance for responsive behaviour or digital implementation.
I developed a system of wave variants: full-width for desktop heroes, cropped versions for mobile, simplified patterns for smaller elements. SVG crops at specific breakpoints maintained the organic feel while ensuring performance. The brand agency hadn't anticipated these needs.
Result: A responsive implementation that honoured the rebrand vision while solving problems they hadn't considered.
The rebrand arrived mid-project from an agency focused on print. The wave textures looked beautiful in static applications but had no guidance for responsive behaviour or digital implementation.
I developed a system of wave variants: full-width for desktop heroes, cropped versions for mobile, simplified patterns for smaller elements. SVG crops at specific breakpoints maintained the organic feel while ensuring performance. The brand agency hadn't anticipated these needs.
Result: A responsive implementation that honoured the rebrand vision while solving problems they hadn't considered.
Decision 4
Pivoted from custom to native theme
The launch date was fixed. When timeline pressure intensified, the custom theme became impossible. I had to translate creative concepts the client had been sold on into Focal theme, maintaining visual ambition within tighter constraints.
This meant internal negotiation on every detail. Working with the developer and PM: "If we simplify this, can we keep that?" Preserving experience quality while accepting platform limitations required constant trade-off decisions.
Result: Launched on time with an experience that exceeded what the native theme typically delivers.
The launch date was fixed. When timeline pressure intensified, the custom theme became impossible. I had to translate creative concepts the client had been sold on into Focal theme, maintaining visual ambition within tighter constraints.
This meant internal negotiation on every detail. Working with the developer and PM: "If we simplify this, can we keep that?" Preserving experience quality while accepting platform limitations required constant trade-off decisions.
Result: Launched on time with an experience that exceeded what the native theme typically delivers.
The Work
The Work
A sustainable shopping experience
The design balanced Eden Project's mission with commerce requirements. Homepage structured to guide high-awareness customers toward purchase while layering sustainability messaging for those who wanted it. Collection pages with clear filtering and product storytelling. Product pages leading with conversion elements, supporting with provenance and sustainability details below.
The wave system from the rebrand was integrated throughout: section dividers, background textures, navigation elements. Each application had documented variants for different contexts and breakpoints.
The design balanced Eden Project's mission with commerce requirements. Homepage structured to guide high-awareness customers toward purchase while layering sustainability messaging for those who wanted it. Collection pages with clear filtering and product storytelling. Product pages leading with conversion elements, supporting with provenance and sustainability details below.
The wave system from the rebrand was integrated throughout: section dividers, background textures, navigation elements. Each application had documented variants for different contexts and breakpoints.
The Complication
Navigating stakeholder perspectives
Ten stakeholders from events, marketing, and operations each brought different priorities. Events wanted ticket integration. Marketing wanted storytelling. Operations wanted manageable content workflows.
The single-voice process with Juan wasn't just about reducing noise. It was about creating a trusted intermediary who could synthesise competing needs before they reached design. When Juan said feedback was checked, I trusted it. That trust was built through early investment in the relationship, not assumed.
Navigating stakeholder perspectives
Ten stakeholders from events, marketing, and operations each brought different priorities. Events wanted ticket integration. Marketing wanted storytelling. Operations wanted manageable content workflows.
The single-voice process with Juan wasn't just about reducing noise. It was about creating a trusted intermediary who could synthesise competing needs before they reached design. When Juan said feedback was checked, I trusted it. That trust was built through early investment in the relationship, not assumed.
Three-agency coordination
Brand agency (Someone in London) delivered assets. Main site agency (Numiko) controlled the primary domain. We built the shop. Alignment required proactive communication, not just reacting to deliverables.
I initiated check-ins with Numiko to ensure navigation labels and linking structure would work across both sites. When brand assets arrived without digital specifications, I documented what was missing and proposed solutions rather than waiting for answers that might not come.
Three-agency coordination
Brand agency (Someone in London) delivered assets. Main site agency (Numiko) controlled the primary domain. We built the shop. Alignment required proactive communication, not just reacting to deliverables.
I initiated check-ins with Numiko to ensure navigation labels and linking structure would work across both sites. When brand assets arrived without digital specifications, I documented what was missing and proposed solutions rather than waiting for answers that might not come.
The Complication
Navigating stakeholder perspectives
Ten stakeholders from events, marketing, and operations each brought different priorities. Events wanted ticket integration. Marketing wanted storytelling. Operations wanted manageable content workflows.
The single-voice process with Juan wasn't just about reducing noise. It was about creating a trusted intermediary who could synthesise competing needs before they reached design. When Juan said feedback was checked, I trusted it. That trust was built through early investment in the relationship, not assumed.
Three-agency coordination
Brand agency (Someone in London) delivered assets. Main site agency (Numiko) controlled the primary domain. We built the shop. Alignment required proactive communication, not just reacting to deliverables.
I initiated check-ins with Numiko to ensure navigation labels and linking structure would work across both sites. When brand assets arrived without digital specifications, I documented what was missing and proposed solutions rather than waiting for answers that might not come.
The Delivery
How I set Development up for success
The theme pivot meant handoff documentation focused on what was native versus custom. Developers needed to know where they were configuring theme settings versus building bespoke functionality.
I annotated every departure from default theme behaviour. Responsive wave crops, custom collection layouts, product page additions. The handoff wasn't a Figma file thrown over the wall. It was a guided translation from design intent to theme architecture.
The theme pivot meant handoff documentation focused on what was native versus custom. Developers needed to know where they were configuring theme settings versus building bespoke functionality.
I annotated every departure from default theme behaviour. Responsive wave crops, custom collection layouts, product page additions. The handoff wasn't a Figma file thrown over the wall. It was a guided translation from design intent to theme architecture.
The Results
Growth beyond the ambitious internal target
We didn't hit the 200% target, which was internally considered ambitious from the start. But 109.9% revenue growth represents genuine transformation of the shop's performance, and a foundation for the long-term vision of an online destination that stands on its own.
Revenue increase year-over-year, transforming the shop from afterthought to viable ecommerce channel.
Revenue increase year-over-year, transforming the shop from afterthought to viable ecommerce channel.
Conversion rate improvement, indicating stronger purchase intent and reduced friction in the buying journey.
Conversion rate improvement, indicating stronger purchase intent and reduced friction in the buying journey.
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