Serira Designs

Serira Designs is the brainchild of KatGirl - a.k.a - Kate Northey, Australia.

Way back in 2005, when Kate was endeavoring to establish her online business she knew exactly the type of "Look" she wanted for her business but finding a high quality, professional looking design that didn't cost the earth proved to be a frustrating affair. So Kate decided to build her own, from the ground up.

And so began Kate's very large learning curve straight into the relatively unknown world that was CubeCart. Almost six years later, and Kate's still hard at it designing and testing her beautiful themes.

An Interview with KatGirl

In the year 2006, shortly after I joined the now defunct www.cubecart.org forums as a regular member, I was invited to become a Moderator because my style and, well, veracity with fellow Cubers was kinda contagious. I loved to talk. I love to share. I love to write. I love to help others, if I can. Helping and sharing all manner of things with my fellow Cubers, even people I don't know still to this day contact me via my website, comes very naturally to me.

Truth: Wanna know the real truth about how I got that offer to become a moderator?

Well, it was really my in-depth "War and Peace" style approach to Store Reviews that made fellow Cubers sit up and take notice. Back in the days when "Looks Good" was an acceptable answer to a fellow Cuber's pressing question:

"Here's my new store. Can someone tell me what they think?"

...along came KatGirl - that's me!

I have this adorable little quirk - please, do not say its not adorable :-) why say something in 2 words when I can say the same thing using 1000, right? [grin]  And so "Store Reviews" was launched like a Nobel Peace Prize Winning Entry!

Today, thankfully, moderators and Cubers alike still provide extraordinary in-depth store reviews that goes way beyond the typical "Looks Good" approach by taking the time to care. Taking the time to offer sound advice, helpful business suggestions, CubeCart choice hacks, etc... because our central aim is to help you achieve your goals. Help you achieve success.

My views on sharing in 2006 makes asking that all important question: "How's my store look to you?" all worth it today, wouldn't you agree?

Mind you, I'm not a Professor on any subject but I like to think that my accumulated 10 years+ experience in Web Design, Start Up Internet Companies, Print Media, CSS/HTML, and Professional Writing (told you I love to write!), I've managed to tuck away choice bits and pieces that helps me design beautiful Themes.

Soon thereafter, Alistair - owner of CubeCart eCommerce Software - invited me to join his cubecart.org's PAB group (Policy Advisory Board), which consisted of 5 CubeCart trusted members (Moderators and Administration) to help redefine, reorganise and manage CubeCart.org's massive forums so all members - existing and new - were given equal rights and protection when it came to soliciting custom Third Party Mods, Custom Skins and outsourcing paid work.

You can imagine how gob-smacked I was. Proud as punch, too!

With the closure of CubeCart.org forums, and the introduction of the new forums: CubeCartForums.org, I was once again asked to participate as a Moderator to help other CubeCart members source invaluable information to kick start their online business, as well as provide help and assistance with design and coding. How could I say no?

It was during my daily interaction with the previous CubeCart.org community that I quickly saw an essential need for High Quality Affordable Themes that not only look professional, but they drill right down into base core files, if need be. I wanted to introduce a new concept called "Themes" to my fellow Cubers, and I did.

And so, Serira Designs was born.

A New Beginning

What makes Serira Designs different from other CubeCart skin stores? The answer is quite fundamental: Serira Designs creates "Unique Brand Presence". What this means, simply, is that my Themes look outstanding from the first page to the very last page. Everything you see, everything you click, has been purposefully designed and created to promote your website's unique look, and your products.

This fine attention to detail makes Serira Designs different - if not, unique - from other CubeCart [choke] skin [/choke] stores. Sorry, guys. After six years, you'd think I could say that word without tripping over my lips, right? [sigh] I'll try harder, next time.

Serira Designs does not have a 'flagship' product - nor do I want one. I love creating fresh and exciting designs that turns CubeCart on its head by being innovative, curious, sometimes even clever. I want to stretch the envelope beyond the boundaries, time and again, and I'm always searching and testing and playing with new ideas, new concepts, new trends to make CubeCart look better. Work better. Be smarter.

My approach isn't "Let's design a new ecommerce skin today!" Rather, my approach has always been: I'm going to design something clever that makes CubeCart look and behave like a website!

I love helping my customers fine tune my Themes to suit their needs, so if you purchase one my Themes I won't abandon you to work things out yourself, nor will I leave you scratching your head wondering "How on earth do I change that?". With Serira Designs, you can rest easy knowing I will help you wherever I can, and most times I'll do this for free!

The Bare Bones

Serira Designs does NOT create, craft, design or sell skins. I design Themes. Unique Themes. And, more importantly, Unique Brand Presence. In fact, you won't find high quality, beautiful looking CubeCart Themes like mine anywhere else on the web - and that in itself is why Serira Designs is so hugely popular within the CubeCart community. There's nothing 'similar' about my themes. My Themes are Unique. Always.

I believe so strongly in "Professional Standards" and "Unique Brand Presence" I put my opinions straight into my designs. When I design a Theme, I don't use pre-existing default "Code" or "HTML" and simply change the header image and re-color buttons and wrap it up and offer it as "Hey Guys, here's my new skin!"

I am very deliberate in my choice of HTML, CSS as I am with my creativity and I always strive to create a Unique Brand Presence that reflects both your personality and your Products. I believe so strongly in what I do, and what I offer, I want you to believe in it, too. I want your customers to feel secure, and safe, and ultra confident when they visit your store, first time - every time.

More interesting info for you:

Would you believe... I love saying that [she grins]. I always remember 99's long suffering relationship with Maxwell. Anyway, would you believe I introduced two new concepts to the CubeCart community? My first concept was "Themes". My second concept was immensely logical in my view. Larger Thumbnails! 

Anyone who knows me knows my very strong views on presentation - why make me squint through a magnifying glass just to view your products? Seriously, I'm here to buy from you. Don't make my life difficult, please! 

Strange thing was, when I became a new member of the CubeCart community six years ago, that's all that was offered by the skin designers in their skins. Ultra small thumbnails! It was like: Hmm. Must be a strict law on how much inventory space a person's allowed to display. 

So I changed everyone's whole outlook on thumbnails. Yep. That was little ole me. I introduced Larger Sized Thumbnails as standard in all my designs, and I continue to do this today. Now, its not unusual for my competitors to display larger sized thumbs in their designs because a few years ago, everyone was demanding they adopt my approach! So in essence, they had no choice but to follow suit. :-)

Now, everyone - you, me, my Optometrist and your customers are happy because we can all see and enjoy your product inventory images without rushing out to buy new glasses. How cool is that?

Uh Oh....She's reaching for the soap box!

As previously mentioned, Serira Designs is not a $6 skin store. You won't see Skins on my website, period. I do not sell skins. I do not create skins. I do not touch skins. Frankly, I do not like the word "skins." [ugh!]

Serira Designs creates, crafts, designs and codes CubeCart Themes, and I have been doing this since 2006.

Here's a little inside scoop for you: It was my stubborn refusal to say or write the word "Skin" in my forum posts, and my equally stubborn reference to the word "Themes" to a community that lived and breathed the word "Skins" that launched a global mass duplication process, by the very same 'skin' designers, and also, now, by the newer designers, to immediately adopt the word "Themes" in their keywords, meta tags, product descriptions and blog posts. Go figure!

The bottom line is that I do not sell my themes for $6.00. Would you buy a 'professional' design for $6.00 and expect your customers to agree with you? My father always taught me that you get what you pay for. Sometimes free is excellent (gotta love free!), but most times "Free" or "Cheap" is a poor substitute for Quality: Professionalism: Beauty: Support: After Sales Help: and Superior Design.

So sorry folks. If you're still keen on that quick $6.00 skin fix, you'll have to look elsewhere. I won't apologise for my prices: I take enormous pride in my themes and I believe my prices reflect my professional standards.

Creating a Theme from scratch, literally, isn't an 1hour process. It isn't even a 10hour process. Most times, it isn't even a 3day process. Sometimes, crafting a new theme can take up to 5days to design the layout, source gorgeous icons, breathtaking imagery, then slice, code, and thoroughly test that new theme using FireFox (my preferred browser of choice), and that's before I start checking in other major browsers. So you can appreciate, perhaps, why I will not sell my themes for $10.00 US. It just isn't financially viable for me to do this. 

Truthfully, I'd rather sell (1) high quality unique theme for £45.00UK to one business savvy CubeCart owner than a dozen cheap looking $10 US skins that look well, cheap. They look boring. They look flat and 1 dimensional. They look exactly like every other skin floating around the CubeCart community. 

That's why I create High Quality, Professional looking CubeCart Themes, themes that shout "Unique Brand Presence" in every aspect of your store. With Serira Designs' beautiful Themes readily available, you will be unique; that's my promise to you!

Final Note

When you purchase a Theme from Serira Designs, you will have absolute confidence knowing your customers can view your store using any browser they wish because all my Themes are 100% Valid (X)HTML and thoroughly tested on all Major Browsers before I even release them. Plus, all my Themes come with an easy to read Style Instructions as standard, so changing fonts, colors and images will always be a hassle free affair.

So why not test drive one of my Themes today? You'll see exactly why Serira Designs' CubeCart Themes are hugely popular with fellow Cubers. And seriously, what do you have to lose?

Hugs and Regards,

- Kate