LOREM (not Ipsum)
Branding and ecommerce platform for one of Europe’s online largest retailers of independent magazines, founded in 2010
The idea for LOREM was born in 2010. During our travels, I regularly came across exceptional indie magazines that were not available in Switzerland at the time. So we decided to set up our online shop and sell these magazines here in Switzerland. It started with FROH! magazine from Germany, followed by magazines like Kinfolk, Sidetracked and The Weekender. What began as a side project many years ago now boasts a range of over 3,000 magazines. Today, loremnotipsum.com is one of Europe’s largest distributors of independent magazines and now ships magazines from Zurich to Stockholm, New York, Sydney and Tokyo and supplies magazines to B2B customers such as hotels, design studios and retail outlets. LOREM supports also the funding of new publications on various crowdfunding platforms.
LOREM sells magazines from all over the world
Storyline
The website loremnotipsum.com is a real paradise for magazine aficionados! Completely analogue, hot off the press. With over 3,000 titles from more than 500 publishers around the world, there’s something to suit every taste. Whether it’s design, architecture, food, travel or one of the many other fascinating topics – everyone is guaranteed to find their favourite magazine here. What’s more, the blog keeps all magazine lovers up to date and regularly showcases new magazines. The search function makes it easy to quickly find the magazine you’re looking for or any content on the website. And the newsletter, sent out every two weeks, brings you the latest news from the magazine world as well as current promotions. And there’s even more to discover on LOREM’s Instagram account.
Mission
I started working on LOREM in 2010. My role involved developing the visual identity, designing and technically implementing the e-commerce platform, and integrating it with various external platforms. Additionally, I implemented data processing automations that automatically saved data from the online shop to the CRM, invoicing tool, and calendar. My other responsibilities included designing and implementing a newsletter, various printed materials, and the social media presence. I also managed the technical setup of the online shop.
One of over 3,000 magazines available in the shop
Ecommerce platform
Wireframes
Front page (Home)
Product page
Product list
Page with hero image
The screenshots shown represent only a small selection of the website’s page types. The shop features the home page, the product overview in list and grid view, the category pages including a tag overview, the search results page, the product detail page including various options such as upsells, related products, stock availability (in four stages: Pre-order, In stock, Limited stock and Sold out), delivery options (with automatic time slots depending on the day of the week and time), wishlist and metadata, the shopping basket page including upsell options, the empty shopping basket, the shopping basket in the off-canvas view, the checkout, the order tracking page, the order confirmation, the entire ‘My Account’ section as well as all email notifications (order confirmation, delivery confirmation, pre-order, etc.).
(All images shown on these pages are subject to the copyright of the respective publishers and photographers)
Realised products
Wait a minute… what does LOREM mean?
Well, to be honest, it isn’t a real text. ‘Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisici elit…’ (complete text) is dummy text that is not meant to mean anything. It is used as a placeholder in magazine layouts, for example, in order to give an impression of the finished document. The text is intentionally unintelligible so that the viewer is not distracted by the content. The language is not real Latin and even the first word ‘Lorem’ does not exist. It is said that the lorem ipsum text has been common among typesetters since the 16th century.
Logo & wordmark variations
Colour palette & typeface
Gift cards
Social media
Signage & Print design
Storefront concept (Photo: partly generated by AI)
Shop sign
Packaging tape
Fabric bag
Business card
Packaging tape
Holographic stickers
Note
All images shown on these pages are subject to the copyright of the respective publishers and photographer.
Tools used for this project
- Airtable
- BBEdit
- Illustrator
- InDesign
- Photoshop
- WooCommerce
- WordPress
- Zapier