Bringing a New Safety Helmet Brand to Life
When HardKnock—the newly branded line of safety helmets formerly known as WaveCel—came to Locus, the brand existed as little more than a logo, a color palette, and a single font. They needed a full digital presence that could introduce the brand with confidence, clarity, and style. Locus designed and developed a Shopify experience that transformed a minimal identity into a fully realized, commerce-ready brand.
Challenge
HardKnock had no existing digital presence, no product assets, and no brand expression beyond core identity files. The goal was to create a Shopify website that felt elevated and distinctly “HardKnock,” while maintaining the rugged, worker-first personality of the product. The site needed to highlight the helmets’ advanced safety technology and present the product line with more sophistication than a standard Shopify template could offer.
What We Delivered
Art Direction & Brand Expression
Locus provided creative and visual direction for the brand’s inaugural photoshoot—shaping the look, tone, and style of every shot. These images became the foundation of HardKnock’s storytelling, giving the brand the premium, high-grit aesthetic it needed to stand out in the industrial safety category.
Custom Shopify Experience
We architected and designed a fully custom Shopify theme experience, going far beyond the platform’s default templates. Key enhancements included:
A Non-Traditional Product Wall:
A more immersive layout that highlights craftsmanship and technology features.
Custom Product Detail Pages:
Featuring a sticky image carousel, bespoke color-skinned swatches, technical callouts, and a modular slider tout system for storytelling.
Optimized Content Blocks:
Built for scalability—allowing HardKnock to expand the product line and marketing content without sacrificing the brand’s visual impact.
Outcome
The final HardKnock site established the brand’s first real home—a visually rich, highly functional Shopify environment that brings personality to industrial safety gear. HardKnock now has a scalable digital platform ready to support future products, campaigns, and marketing growth as the brand expands across the construction and industrial safety markets.
