REFERENCE

Studio Playbook

Platforms

  • Webflow (primary: marketing sites, portfolios, landing pages)
  • Shopify (primary: e-commerce, product-driven sites)
  • Next.js / Astro (only when Webflow or Shopify can't handle the project)

Animation Core

  • GSAP + ScrollTrigger + SplitText + Flip + ScrollSmoother (via Webflow custom code or Shopify theme)
  • Lenis (smooth scroll, integrated with GSAP)
  • Webflow Interactions (simple states only: hovers, toggles, tabs)
  • Rive (vector animation when GSAP isn't the right tool)

3D / WebGL

  • Three.js embedded via Webflow custom code or Shopify sections
  • Spline (for visual 3D, embeddable in Webflow)
  • Custom GLSL shaders (premium tier)
  • WebGPU (experimental 2026)

Transitions

  • Barba.js for page transitions in Webflow (multi-page SPA feel)
  • CSS View Transitions API
  • Custom loaders as content, not spinners

Type

  • Licensed typefaces via Adobe Fonts or self-hosted
  • Variable fonts with animated weight/width
  • SplitText for character-level animation
  • Never default Google Fonts on premium projects

Shopify Specific

  • Liquid template architecture (sections, snippets, blocks)
  • Metafields for flexible content
  • Shopify Markets for international
  • Klaviyo / Stripe / shipping integrations

Webflow Specific

  • Component/symbol library per project
  • CMS collection architecture planned before build
  • Client Editor mode tested before handoff
  • Finsweet Attributes or custom solutions for CMS filtering/sorting

Other

  • Howler.js (audio, muted by default + toggle)
  • CSS scroll-driven animations API
  • Blender / Spline for 3D asset creation