giftstart: award-winning registry

Arctic Leaf transformed Giftstart into a focused baby registry platform, driving investor confidence and award-winning design.

• Collaborated with the client to define Giftstart’s tone, voice, and strategy.


• Surveyed parents to uncover emotional pain points, needs, and frustrations, shaping valuable platform features.

• Developed user personas to focus on impactful audiences and prioritize registry and shopping experiences.

• Conducted competitive analysis to identify market opportunities and avoid common pitfalls.


• Designed an approachable, accessible, and high-quality brand with calming visuals to reduce target audience’s stress and anxiety.


• Created moodboards and a style guide to unify branding elements—fonts, colors, and photography—across the site and marketing assets.

• Built a headless Shopify site using NextJS, HeadlessUI, and Tailwind for speed and performance.


• Integrated Shopify GraphQL API to manage wishlist and fundraising functionality without relying on third-party tools.


• Enabled content management for headers, footers, and blogs directly through the Shopify dashboard.


• Developed the site with accessibility standards to support all users.

• Created a master email template showcasing Giftstart’s unique experience, product offerings, and updates to increase brand recognition.


• Used Klaviyo’s API to create custom email flows aligned with the registry experience and buyer journey.


• Applied Arctic Leaf’s sunset strategy to segment and re-engage unengaged email recipients.


• Delivered email content tailored to Giftstart’s brand voice, strengthening subscriber engagement.

• Secured investor funding, advancing Giftstart’s growth.


• Developed features for cash flow offerings and admin cash management.


• Earned recognition across multiple publications for the new platform.


• Won the 2024 Netty Award for Innovative Design.