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“Working with Creative Labs has been a game-changer for our business.”
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Poplar Forest Nursery TeamPoplar Forest Nursery
Theme development
Custom Shopify theme development, in your repo.
Sections, templates, apps removed and Core Web Vitals passes on the theme you already run. No rebuild, no lock-in.
Theme work for brands like
Why a custom theme
A theme built for your catalog loads faster than a Theme Store theme with twenty apps, and your team edits sections in the customizer, not in code.
#theme
Creative Labs agent↻ Replay
You10:02
Marketing wants a bundle builder on the PDP without another app.
CL agent10:03
Built it as a native section: pick three bags, price updates live, adds as one line item with properties. No app, 11 KB of JS, editable in the customizer.
Message #theme
Theme store, page builder or custom?
When a custom theme is worth it, and when it isn’t.
A Theme Store theme is the right call for a new store with a standard catalog. Once you are stacking apps to bend it, a custom theme is cheaper to run.
Theme Store theme
Page builder app
Custom theme
This pageBest for
New stores, standard catalogs
Landing pages, marketing teams
Established stores, custom catalogs
Mobile speed
Good until apps pile up
Slower; builder JS on every page
Fast; only what you use ships
Who edits
Your team
Your team
Your team, in the customizer
Time to launch
1 to 2 weeks
Days per page
6 to 10 weeks
Apps
Many, to fill gaps
The builder plus others
Few; features built in
Ownership
Theme licence
App subscription
Code in your GitHub
Cost
$0 to $400
$30 to $200 / mo
From $3,000 per section set
We also fix themes other agencies built. Send the store and we’ll say whether to repair or rebuild.
Inside a theme project
Drag to see the section before and after.
Four themes we worked on. Pick a client, then drag.
hush.ca
Hush
Collection-first homepage and a bundle builder on the existing theme
1
Sections scoped from the Shopify customizer, not a redesign
2
Built in a theme branch with GitHub previews
3
Apps removed as sections replaced them
Our process
How theme work runs.
A section in days, a theme overhaul in about 4 weeks. Coloured bars are our work, grey ones are yours.
THEME OVERHAULAUDIT, BUILD AND MEASURE
WEEK 1
WEEK 2
WEEK 3
WEEK 4
Y
You
Access, approvals
Access
Approve
Launch
A
Audit
Theme, apps, speed
Audit + scope
B
Build
Sections, templates
Sections
Templates
Q
QA
Devices, speed, apps
QA + launch
Point at any part to see what happens there.
How we work
Decided before the first commit.
01
Sections, not pages
Every block is a reusable section with settings, so new pages are assembled, not built.
02
A theme repo you own
GitHub, Shopify CLI and a staging theme, with PR previews.
03
Apps curated
Each app justified against a native alternative before it goes in.
04
Core Web Vitals green
LCP, INP and CLS budgets enforced in CI on every push.
From our case studies
What theme work actually changed.
Real numbers from themes we worked on.
−11
apps removed from Hush's theme
94/100
mobile PageSpeed after the pass
4 weeks
MirrorMate's theme overhaul, start to live
0
downtime, built in a branch
Want more examples?
A few of our recent theme projects.
01 / 03
Pricing
One project, or a team every month.
Fixed price for the project, or a subscription that keeps shipping after launch.
One-time project
$3,000
25-hour pack
A block of senior Shopify development for sections, fixes and small features.
✓25 senior dev hours
✓Used when you need them
✓Theme branch + previews
✓Valid 6 months
Subscription
$3,000
/ month
Development subscription for stores that ship theme changes every week.
✓Senior Shopify engineer
✓Updates every 24–48 hours
✓Apps, sections, checkout
✓Pause or cancel monthly
Quality
What every theme change is checked for.
Customizer-first
Every section editable without code.
No app bloat
Apps removed when a section replaces them.
Speed kept
Core Web Vitals measured before and after.
Theme branch
Previews on GitHub, merged on approval.
Accessible
WCAG 2.2 AA on every section.
Cross-device
Tested on iOS, Android and desktop.
Documented
Section notes in the repo README.
You own it
Theme repo in your name.
Words from the brands we've built for
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“Creative Labs has elevated our online presence to a whole new level.”
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Care Hope College AdministrationCare Hope College
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“Creative Labs exceeded our expectations in delivering a secure, user-friendly platform.”
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Cellocity TeamCellocity
Still got questions?
Your questions about theme development
Can you work on my existing theme?
Yes. We work on the theme you already run: new sections, templates, speed fixes and app removal, without a rebuild.
Do you work with Dawn and other free themes?
Yes. We build on Dawn and other Online Store 2.0 themes, and keep customisations in sections so they're easier to maintain.
Will changes break on the next theme update?
Not if customisations live in your own repository and sections. We track changes in git so theme updates can be merged deliberately rather than overwriting your work.
How do I request a section?
Tell us what it should do and where, with an example if you have one. We scope it, build it in a preview, and you approve it before it goes live.
Do you remove apps?
Only the ones you don't use or that slow the store without earning their place. We audit every app, keep the ones your team relies on and load them more efficiently where we can.
What does theme work cost?
Smaller pieces of work are quoted as a fixed price, and ongoing theme work runs on a monthly plan. See pricing.
You've reached the end, so now…
Tell us what you're selling.
Send us your store. Within one business day you get a short Loom from a senior: the three things we'd fix first, what it would cost, and whether we're the right team for it.
- No pitch deck, no discovery-call theatre
- You keep the audit whether or not you hire us
- Fixed-scope quotes, no hourly surprises
Prefer to talk? Book 20 minutes with Haniel or call +1 855-764-4977