We are Mote, a celebrated design-driven software engineering studio based in Los Angeles, California. We specialize in e-commerce, providing refined design, cutting-edge engineering, and the highest order of service to an ever-changing marketplace. Our creative team has an appetite for innovation, with a mission to craft artful, practical applications of vanguard technology for our clients. From innovative startups to Fortune 500 Companies, we equip brands with the most effective and elegant tools to cultivate meaningful, enduring relationships with their audiences.
Known for our revenue-focused solutions and meticulous attention to detail, our work has established us as the leading Shopify Experts in Southern California. We recently received the great honor, as 1 of only 3 Shopify Experts worldwide, to be recognized for our outstanding work in a Shopify Case Study.
Our team has over 20 years of experience within the web development and design communities, earning us our sterling record of trustworthiness, consistency, and pixel-perfect results. We value every project and every partnership, and are immensely proud to be one of the few e-commerce studios in the world with nearly 100 5-Star Reviews for launching sites on Shopify and Shopify Plus.
Sara Mote
Creative Director
With deep roots in fashion and luxury retail, Sara is a seasoned e-commerce expert with recognized talent for discovering and developing distinguished brands. Her clients have ranged from independent designers to Fortune 500 companies. She harnesses her sharp eye, industry background, and development expertise to create compelling user experiences. Her refined aesthetic and meticulous attention to detail establish the ethos that drives our agency.
R. V. d. Mijnsbrugge
Software Engineer
With over 20 years of experience, our lead engineer and CEO has single-handedly written many significant enterprise applications and consulted on cyber security strategies for multiple Fortune 500 companies. He is fluent in JavaScript, Swift, Haskell, Python, Ruby, PHP, C and many more languages and technologies and specializes in Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and Big Data.
Michelle Tulac
Sustainability Consultant
Michelle has extensive experience in the circular economy, sustainability, and climate solutions amongst the world's leading organizations—from large-scale businesses and pioneering startups to governmental agencies. Her expertise lies in offering evidence-based insights for crafting content and designing products, services, and systems aligned with circular economy principles. She equips clients with the framework to adapt circular practices, lending insight on how to build circular business models that have positive environmental and social impact.
Kristen Stegemoeller
Brand Strategist
Kristen Stegemoeller is a writer, creative director, and strategist with a unique gift for helping brands find their voice. With 10 years of experience, she has developed an array of copywriting, creative consulting, marketing, and brand development services for an impressive range of clients including Nike, Target, I Am Other, and Splendid. A deft wordsmith, Kristen has a keen way of articulating brand voices, particularly those that stand for something larger than themselves.
2022
Industry Dive Noogata Retail Dive
Industry Dive invited our Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder, R. V. d. Mijnsbrugge, to be the expert speaker on a webinar discussing opportunities for Artificial Intelligence to be used in the retail sector. The focus of the webinar was on how a complex mix of signals can be analyzed by AI and provide operations and marketing insigts and decision guidance.
View the Webinar
2020
Shopify Compass Webinar
Shopify invited our Creative Director and Co-founder, Sara Mote, to present a webinar focused on site improvements for increasing conversions during the holiday sales season. The webinar targeted practical and actionable suggestions for enhancing design and performance in anticipation of higher traffic spikes, along with tips for holiday advertising strategy and promotions.
2019
Shopify Post-Unite Meetup
Shopify invited our founders, Sara Mote and Rembrant Van der Mijnsbrugge, to share the Shopify Plus announcements made during Unite 2019 in Toronto with an intimate group of partners, merchants, and developers at the Shopify LA Space at The Row in Downtown Los Angeles.
Shop Class: Store Design Fundamentals
Shopify invited our Creative Director and Co-founder, Sara Mote, to teach the first ever partner-hosted workshop at the Shopify LA Space at The Row in Downtown Los Angeles. Topics included establishing a brand and value proposition, developing a brand identity, considering visual details from logo and color palette to photography style and merchandising, and important strategic and esthetic decisions to keep in mind when taking your business from concept to launch.
2018
Shopify Partners Case Study
We received the great honor, as one of only three Experts worldwide, to be recognized for our outstanding work by having a case study created about our studio by Shopify.
Read the Case Study
Shop Class: Selling Everywhere
Shopify invited our Creative Director and Co-founder, Sara Mote, to moderate a panel discussion at their newly opened Shopify LA Space at The Row in Downtown Los Angeles. The focus of the panel was selling everywhere, the conversation and engaging Q&A session provided merchants actionable insights and tactics about growing multi-channel businesses.
Shopify Commerce Awards
Shopify featured Mote in the Shopify Commerce Awards. Judges included Jeffrey Zeldman ( founder of studio.zeldman ), Cynthia Savard Saucier ( Director of Design at Shopify ), Vitaly Friedman ( Editor-In-Chief of Smashing Magazine ), and many other renowned and respected leaders within the web design and development community.
Society6 × Sexy Beast Summit
In June 2018, Sexy Beast partnered with Society6 on their first-ever summit for women artists. Hosted at Urban Outfitters' project space, Space 15 Twenty, the event included a full day of panels from founders and creatives from every corner of the art world. Our Creative Director and Co-founder, Sara Mote, spoke alongside established brand founders and content creators during a panel specifically geared towards emerging artists and entrepreneurs. The topic was organized around knowing you're worth as a creative and covered advice for navigating pricing, establishing a process for proposals, and communicating effectively with clients.
2017
Shopify Unite Panel
Our Creative Director and Co-founder, Sara Mote, spoke at Shopify's International Conference, Unite, in 2017 on the main stage during the first day. The topic, for an audience of Shopify partners and fellow Experts, focused on cultivating the right tools to build trusting relationships, deliver successful projects and offer the best possible experiences to clients.
Watch the Video
Shopify Grow Book
Shopify invited Mote to author a chapter in their book, Grow, to share insight and help creatives and entrepreneurs build thriving businesses of their own.
Download the Book
2015
Skillshare Course
Taught online course Concept to Commerce: Shopify + Branding Essentials with over 1,200 students enrolled. Throughout the course, we introduced key elements for consideration; such as the importance of brand trust and why good design really matters. From platform selection to typography, photography, and copywriting, we guided students through essential decisions to create a unified brand presence.
2013
Shopify Partner
Invited to join the Shopify Partner Program and take part in the newly launched Shopify Experts directory of recommended e-commerce studios and partners.
