Aqualung has been a pioneer in scuba diving equipment since 1943, when Captain Jacques-Yves Cousteau and Emile Gagnan developed the first “aqua-lung.” Despite its rich history and global presence, Aqualung and its sister brands, Aquasphere and Apeks, had never sold directly to consumers. Instead, they relied on third-party retailers. The company recognised the need for a digital transformation—both to strengthen their brand identity online and to build a more direct relationship with their customers.
We were tasked with designing and launching Aqualung’s first-ever direct-to-consumer ecommerce platform, alongside dedicated sites for Aquasphere and Apeks. Each brand had existing print-based guidelines but no digital presence, requiring us to translate their identities into a digital-first experience. This was not just about selling products—it was about immersing users in the world of diving, ensuring technical specifications were surfaced intuitively, and creating a seamless shopping experience for both consumers and retail partners.
Constraints & Challenges
Since Aqualung and its sister brands had never had their own ecommerce presence, there was no existing digital framework to build upon. We had to define their design systems, navigation, and overall user experience from scratch while ensuring that each brand retained its individual identity within a cohesive family of sites.
One of the biggest challenges was balancing the need for brand differentiation while maintaining consistency across all three websites. Each brand had its own personality and product focus, but they all needed to feel like part of the same ecosystem. Without digital brand guidelines, we had to establish a scalable design language that could be applied across multiple touchpoints.
The complexity of the product catalogue presented another challenge. Scuba diving equipment is highly technical, with detailed specifications that must be surfaced at the right moments in the shopping experience. Presenting this information in a way that was both digestible and informative, without overwhelming users, required careful content structuring and interaction design.
Navigation was also a key focus. With such a large product range, we needed to ensure that users could find what they were looking for quickly and intuitively. The information architecture had to accommodate both seasoned divers familiar with the technicalities and newcomers who might need more guidance.
Finally, while the websites were built on the Shopify platform, the business directors had a clear creative vision that extended beyond Shopify’s out-of-the-box templates. To meet their expectations, we designed custom layouts for product listing pages (PLPs) and product detail pages (PDPs), ensuring that the brand’s high standards for presentation and storytelling were upheld.
Key deliverables
We created a full-scale responsive atomic design system in Figma for Aqualung, Aquasphere, and Apeks, ensuring consistency across all three brands while allowing for individual nuances. Alongside this, we provided detailed design guidelines for future scalability.
For the ecommerce experience, we developed page templates tailored to showcase the highly technical nature of the products in an accessible way. We designed a flexible information architecture that surfaces key specifications at the right moments without overwhelming the user. Special attention was given to the navigation structure to accommodate the large product catalogue efficiently.
Beyond the digital interface, we provided art direction guidelines for product photography, ensuring that items like wetsuits, regulators, fins, and accessories were presented clearly and compellingly. This was crucial for ecommerce success, as high-quality visuals build trust and drive conversions.
In addition to UI design, we conducted user research, including 20 user interviews with both experienced divers and newcomers. These interviews helped shape the design approach, particularly in terms of how technical information was presented. We adapted our designs iteratively based on feedback to improve usability and engagement.
Outcome & impact
Aqualung now has its first-ever direct-to-consumer ecommerce platform, allowing the brand to strengthen its identity online and build direct relationships with customers for the first time. The website provides a seamless shopping experience that balances technical product information with engaging storytelling, making it easier for both seasoned divers and newcomers to explore and purchase equipment.
The scalable design system we created ensures consistency across Aqualung, Aquasphere, and Apeks while allowing each brand to maintain its own unique identity. This framework supports future growth and can be expanded as the brands continue to evolve their digital presence.
The new information architecture significantly improves product discovery by making Aqualung’s extensive and highly technical catalogue more accessible. Users can now navigate the site with ease, finding the right equipment without feeling overwhelmed by specifications.
Beyond direct sales, the platform also strengthens Aqualung’s relationships with retail partners by providing a more strategic and curated digital wholesale experience. This enhanced B2B functionality improves the purchasing process for dive shops and associated retailers, making it easier for them to stock Aqualung’s products.
The launch of the website coincided with the release of Aqualung’s new Legend regulator, a key moment for the brand. The site was designed to showcase the innovation behind the product and engage both casual and dedicated divers worldwide, reinforcing Aqualung’s leadership in advanced scuba technology.
By flipping the traditional ecommerce perspective, we created an immersive digital experience that captures the excitement of diving. High-contrast visuals, inspired by coral reefs and deep-sea environments, evoke the beauty and adventure of the ocean, reinforcing Aqualung’s position as a brand that enables exploration. The result is not just an ecommerce site but an invitation to dive into the Aqualung experience.
