The project
Plates Made Simple came to me with a clear goal: they needed an easy-to-use e-commerce site to help them start selling their handmade, personalised number plates online. The site had to be:
- Simple and intuitive for customers to navigate
- A true reflection of the business’s fun, friendly vibe
- Mobile-friendly and quick to load
- Easy to manage without technical know-how
What I did
I designed and built a bespoke Shopify store, keeping the user journey as streamlined as possible - from browsing to checkout. I customised the Shopify theme to better match the brand’s tone, using bold typography, fun copy, and a responsive layout that feels great across all devices.
The site features:
- A clear, easy-to-use product catalogue
- Customisable plate options
- A fast and simple Shopify checkout experience
- Mobile-first design and accessibility enhancements
- Playful visuals that reflect the personality of the business
Brand palette
The colour palette centres around royal blue, yellow, black and white - a nod to the official DVLA colours used on licensed number plates. This not only ties the brand visually to its product but also creates a bold, high-contrast combination that meets accessibility standards and ensures readability across the site.
-
- Royal Blue
- #002466
- rgb(0 36 102)
- hsl(218.8 100% 20%)
-
- Number plate
- #fc0
- rgb(255 204 0)
- hsl(48 100% 50%)
-
- Black
- #000
- rgb(0 0 0)
- hsl(0 0% 0%)
-
- White
- #fff
- rgb(255 255 255)
- hsl(0 100% 100%)
-
- Off-White
- #dee4e7
- rgb(222 228 231)
- hsl(200 15.8% 88.8%)
-
- Grey
- #ccc
- rgb(204 204 204)
- hsl(0 0% 80%)
Colour contrast
-
- Royal blue/White
- Lc 100.7
- AAA 14.54
-
- White/Royal blue
- Lc -103.7
- AAA 14.54
-
- Number plate/Black
- Lc -79.6
- AAA 13.89
-
- Black/Number plate
- Lc 80.2
- AAA 13.89
Performance and Core Web Vitals
Mobile
Performance:
80%
Accessibility:
92%
Best practices:
93%
Search Engine Optimisation:
100%
Full details
-
Largest Contentful Paint:
5s
Success: < 2.5s Warning: 2.6s - 4s Error: > 4s
-
First Contentful Paint:
1.9s
Success: < 1.8s Warning: 1.81s - 3s Error: > 3s
-
Speed Index:
2.4s
Success: <3.4s Warning: 3.5s - 5.8s Error: > 5.8s
-
Cumulative Layout Shift:
0
Success: < 0.1 Warning: 0.11 - 0.25 Error: > 0.25
-
Total Blocking Time:
60ms
Success: < 200ms Warning: 201ms - 600ms Error: > 600ms
-
Page weight:
1.71MB
Success: < 1.50MB Warning: 1.50MB - 2.23MB Error: > 2.23MB
Desktop
Performance:
100%
Accessibility:
95%
Best practices:
93%
Search Engine Optimisation:
100%
Full details
-
Largest Contentful Paint:
0.8s
Success: < 2.5s Warning: 2.6s - 4s Error: > 4s
-
First Contentful Paint:
0.4s
Success: < 1.8s Warning: 1.81s - 3s Error: > 3s
-
Speed Index:
0.6s
Success: <3.4s Warning: 3.5s - 5.8s Error: > 5.8s
-
Cumulative Layout Shift:
0
Success: < 0.1 Warning: 0.11 - 0.25 Error: > 0.25
-
Total Blocking Time:
20ms
Success: < 200ms Warning: 201ms - 600ms Error: > 600ms
-
Page weight:
1.71MB
Success: < 1.50MB Warning: 1.50MB - 2.23MB Error: > 2.23MB
Tech used
The result
Since launching, Plates Made Simple has seen regular orders coming in - proving that the right platform, combined with the right design, really does make a difference. With Shopify in place, the team can now easily manage orders, update products, and grow their business without any technical stress.
“Phil from C&C has made me two websites now. He talks you through everything step by step and nothing is to much trouble when you don't understand. 100% support even years after the first site. Couldn't recommend him enough.”