kaydidthis case study: a Framer portfolio and Shopify shop for a Dubai illustrator

Case study · kaydidthis · Dubai, UAE

Quick answer: Kay is an illustrator, artist and digital designer based in Dubai, with campaign work for brands like Spotify MENA, Emirates and Visa with Emirates NBD, and exhibitions from Paris to Jumeirah. kaydidthis brings her client work, fine art and merch into one Framer site, with a Shopify-powered shop built in.

At a glance

• Client: Kay · kaydidthis

• Location: Dubai, UAE

• Scope: Portfolio design, Framer build, shop

• Platform: Framer + Shopify

• Content: Work, services, exhibitions, shop

• Domain: kaydidthis.com

The brief

An illustrator's website has one job: get out of the way of the work, then make it easy to hire her or buy from her.

Kay's work is bright, surreal and full of movement. A busy template would compete with it, and a plain grid would flatten her personality.

The site also had to serve three different visitors: brands looking for a freelancer or retainer, galleries and collaborators, and fans who want to buy a print or a piece of merch.

The approach

1. A black canvas and oversized type: The homepage opens with "Chaos, but art." and a full-width kaydidthis wordmark. Everything else is monochrome, so her illustrations supply all the colour.

2. Work as a visual journal: Projects are dated entries, from Visa with Emirates NBD and Spotify MENA to Emirates Instagram Stories, custom merch, skateboard art and Coldplay illustrations, with a link out to Behance.

3. Hiring made plain: "Freelancer or Retainer. Pick your fighter." A capabilities list covers illustration, brand identity and campaigns, social content, merch and fine art.

4. Credibility for the art world: Experience at tactical. and OSN, and five exhibitions, including Holy Art Paris 2024 and Picasso Gallery Dubai 2025, each with its own short story.

5. A shop inside the portfolio: A Shopify-powered cart with shipping and returns pages, so fans can buy without leaving the site.

Ideation and process

1. Discovery: Gathered Kay's client work, fine art, exhibitions and merch, and who each one is for.

2. Structure: One long homepage: intro, visual journal, capabilities, profile, experience, art, contact, plus the shop.

3. Art direction: Monochrome layout and oversized type, so the illustrations carry the colour.

4. Build: Framer for the portfolio and its interactions, Shopify for the shop.

The sitemap

• Work: Visual journal, Behance

• Services: Illustration, Brand, Social, Merch, Fine art

• About: Profile, Experience

• Art: Exhibitions

• Shop: Shipping, Returns

Small details that make it feel alive.

Navigation and calls to action animate letter by letter, short captions sit in the margins like notes in a sketchbook, and section labels read like a creative's journal: Visual journal, Capabilities, Personal profile.

The tone is hers throughout: playful and confident. "I take on the overthinking part, so your team doesn't have to."

Results

The challenge

• Bright, busy artwork that templates fight with

• Three audiences: brands, galleries and fans

• Client work, fine art and merch in one place

• Selling online without a separate store

What shipped

• A bold Framer portfolio on her own domain

• A dated visual journal of client and personal work

• Capabilities, experience and exhibitions for credibility

• A Shopify-powered shop with shipping and returns

By the numbers

• 8 projects in the visual journal

• 5 exhibitions, from Paris to Dubai

• 5 services in one capabilities list

• 1 shop with shipping and returns, built in

Tools and platforms

Framer, Shopify, Portfolio design, Interaction design, Typography, Responsive design.

Frequently asked questions

Who built the kaydidthis website?

Oluwafemi Aaron Ekemenah of Xplore Visual Creatives built kaydidthis, the portfolio and shop of Kay, an illustrator, artist and digital designer based in Dubai.

What platform is kaydidthis built on?

Framer for the portfolio and its interactions, with a Shopify-powered shop, shipping and returns pages.

What does the kaydidthis portfolio include?

A dated visual journal of client and personal work, a capabilities list, experience, five exhibitions and a shop for prints and merch.

About the author

Oluwafemi Aaron Ekemenah is a web designer and CMS specialist and the founder of Xplore Visual Creatives. Top Rated on Upwork, Level 2 on Fiverr and a Legend Wix Partner, he has delivered 350+ websites for businesses in the US, UK, Canada and Australia. Book a free 30-minute call.