9 Lives Left
From Concrete to Code: Translating Underground Culture into High-Converting E-Commerce
9 Lives Left is more than a streetwear brand; it’s a physical destination. Our challenge was to bridge the gap between their gritty physical culture and digital commerce engineering a "dark mode" experience that captures the glow of neon and the "feisty" attitude of their mascot without sacrificing load speeds or conversion rates.
Deliverables
Wireframing and Sitemapping
Brand Identity/ Strategy
Logo Design
Mobile Responsiveness/Optimization
Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO)
UX/UI Optimization
Web Design/Development
Lead Generation/Contact Forms
Technologies Used:
The Brief: The "Phygital" Disconnect
Goal: Frame the project as a business challenge (The "Phygital" Disconnect) rather than just an aesthetic request.
The Narrative: 9 Lives Left had built a cult following at their physical location, but their online presence felt sterile and generic. They needed a digital flagship that felt just as exclusive and "underground" as walking into their shop at 2 AM.
The Challenge: How do you translate a sensory, atmospheric physical experience (dim lighting, neon, texture) into a flat 2D screen without creating a slow, clunky user experience? We needed to balance high-concept aesthetics with the high-speed performance required for limited-edition product drops.
Scope of Works
Brand Strategy
Brand Immersion establishing the "Feisty" archetype to position the brand as a gritty, anti-corporate alternative to mainstream streetwear. We focused on building a narrative around the "Sinners" community rather than just a customer base.
Web Design
Atmospheric UI designing a native interface that mimics the atmosphere of a dimly lit street shop. We utilized deep black backgrounds paired with neon red accents to create a high-contrast, immersive environment that reduces eye strain and increases time-on-site.
Optimized User Experience
Friction-free hype engineering a friction-free path to purchase specifically for high-traffic "Drops." We integrated prominent trust signals and clear iconography to counter the skepticism common in the limited-edition sneaker market.
Product Imagery
Digital tactility moving away from static flat-lays to dynamic, floating product compositions with red glow effects. This styling treats every hoodie and sneaker like a rare "item drop" in a video game, increasing perceived value and desirability.
Mood Board
The mood board establishes a visual language of "Midnight Rebellion," rooted in the raw energy of the streets. We curated a palette dominated by a dark theme that evokes the feeling of navigating an alleyway at 2 AM. It is emphasized by aggressive red neon accents that demand attention. To capture the authentic texture of urban culture, we layered gritty elements like distressed brick and vibrant graffiti art, ensuring the digital space felt just as tactile as the physical world. This collision of cyberpunk aesthetics and underground streetwear culture creates a fearless backdrop, perfectly mirroring the brand’s "feisty" underdog spirit.
Color Palette & Typography
#FFFFFF
#0D0303
#B7271F
#B4423D
#EE9067
#410E0F
The Logo
Bringing the cat mascot for 9 Lives Left to life by creating a custom illustration and then giving him life by adding motion design.
Final Landing Page
The Results: High-Performance Hype
Brand Integrity
We successfully translated the physical alleyway into a digital turf. The design captures the mascot's attitude and the community's "No BS" culture, ensuring the online store feels like a direct extension of the physical shop.
Despite the heavy use of dark textures and custom animations, the site was optimized for mobile-first performance. We achieved a "Green" score on Core Web Vitals, ensuring that heavy traffic during product drops doesn't crash the experience.
The immersive "dark mode" environment and gamified product interactions have led to longer browsing sessions, encouraging users to explore the "Street Cred Lookbook" and deeper product details.
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